Illusions and Illustrations
by CaramelIllusions
Summary: Ladybug ruined her life, her reputation, her love life. Frustrated Lila skips school and goes to the park, she meets a comforting stranger, who, apparently goes to her school. This is how they meet and what transpired after. Rated T for swearing. HIATUS due to lost inspiration.
1. Comforting stranger

Illusion and Illustrations:

Chapter 1: Comforting stranger

 **Hey. So this sort of came to me in the middle of the night and I decided to give it life. I hope I'll be able to finish it or even upload it probably since this is my first time using ...so yeah...But The Adventurous tales of Ladybug and Chatnoir is one of my favorite shows and Nathanael is my fav BG character and for some reason I started shipping him w/ volpina. Sooo... this happens after the season final. Constructive criticism is appreciated! :)**

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"She is such a liar."

 _Shut up_

"She made it all up. I bet she even isn't from Italy."

 _I'm not a liar. I really am from Italy._

"Pathetic."

 _Stop it._

"She's really mean like Chloe 2.0."

I pulled my science textbook closer to my chest and lowered my head; my bangs shielded me from their judgmental gazes. I could feel my chest begin to tightening as I walked down the hallway of the school and all the while I could hear their loaded words of criticism. I reassured myself that if I could just endure for a bit longer I could get back home. _Maybe I can convince my parent to let me go to another school_. _Maybe I can cut my hair to and change my name_ ….rumbling snickers echo through the halls and bounce of the wall into my ears and I could feel heat rise to my cheeks…This is all ladybug's fault! What kind of superhero goes out of their way to find out about one student who told a tiny white lie in order to make friends? What kind of hero then proceeds to call that person out and ruin their entire reputation? Now no one wants to be my friend and no one trusts me and it's all her damn fault!

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't even see Chloe and Sabrina block my way. Just great…so much for the down low, I let out a groan and proceeded to ask them to get out of my way.

"Hey do you know who you're talking to? I'll have you know that my father's the mayor so you better keep in line. After all it's my word against a liar's word." She threw her head back and began to laugh, her lanky joined in to. I scowled and ran off. The worst thing though is that she has a point. Because, even though I know no one in this school likes Chloe I also know that everyone in this school thinks I'm a fucking liar….and with that I decided to just skip my last class. I wasn't in the mood and I wouldn't be able to concentrate. I may not seem like a trustworthy student but I actually like doing well in class. In my old school I had excellence grades and attendance, not to brag or anything. But right now I know if I go in there I'm going to snap at someone or I'm going to break down and I wasn't going to let them see me in that weak state. I couldn't bear the thought of them knowing their words actually get to me.

I went to my locker, got what I needed, and proceeded to walk off school campus. I think some time away from that hellhole would help me clear my mind.

Soon I found myself in a small park. Perfect. I searched for a place to sit and do my homework. I'll be damned if this school lowers my GPA. Finally my eyes fell open a lonely park bench that was protected from the suns ray by the cooling shade of the tree behind it. Perfect… I made my way towards the secluded bench and proceeded to do my homework. It was quiet. Probably because there weren't that many people. I guess they would still be in school or work. I took out my homework and my pencil and began working…I let my mind focus on the problems, but their words rang in my ear. Electronegativity is when—Liar—electronegativity is an atoms ability to—liar— _Stop it_ —electronegativity is—liar— _shut it—_ electro—liar. _Snap!_ My pencil broke….. In a rage I threw it across the park…I could feel my walls start to crack. I was about to let the dam burst when I saw a pair of purple sneakers stop just a few centimeters in front of me. My head whipped up so fast I think I got whip lash. In front of me stood a boy around my age…maybe a bit younger…

He was short. Probably an inch or two shorter than me, then again I'm pretty tall. His sense of fashion was…questionable. He looked like he got all his clothes from some random thrift store that ran out of extra small, because his clothes were obviously too big to actually fit him. He had to roll up the ends of his jeans and his jacket hung loosely on his delicate skinny figure. He had bright red hair…. _that can't be his real hair color_ … and longs bangs that fell gracefully down the left side of his face and nearly concealed one of his bright teal eyes. In short he looked like some artsy fartsy dweep who—

"Here, I think you accidently threw this at me?" He handed me my broken pencil.

God damn! For a boy who looks like puberty hasn't even touched him he sure has one hella sexy voice.

"Sorry…Thanks." I replied quietly

"Um are you alright?" He asked shyly looking down at me with concern.

"I'm fine." I lied…but that should get him to leave me alone. But instead he stood there for a while. His lips drew into a thin line and his delicate brows furrowed together in thought. He stayed like that for a few second, staring at me intensely with his pretty teal eyes. My heart began racing. Did he see through my lie? Was he going to call me out on it? After another few agonizing second his eyes slightly widened in realization and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. He bowed his head apologetically and his red hair fell gracefully over his face like a silk curtain.

"Oh ok…I-I'm sorry it's just that…never mind...w-would you mind if I sat beside you?" he asked quietly. _Yes, I would mind because I feel like I'm going to have a mental breakdown…._

"No." _God dang it!_ With that he took sat himself down beside me. Nothing was said…I could hear him take out a pencil and a sketching book from his backpack… _Guess schools out…_ the birds sang softly and the insects hummed along. The rustling of the leaves whispered sweet nothings of summer and I could hear the light sounds of a pencil sketching on paper….My heart was beating irregularly and my shoulders were stiff…and that's how we stayed for a few minutes, in absolute silence. Until finally the awkward silence that hung over our heads like a loose noose was broken.

"You're the new girl…right, from Italy?" He asked politely. It came out as a soft whisper that was loud enough to be heard but soft enough to be quickly drowned out by the sounds of nature. To answer his question I simply nodded.

"Do you go to the same school as me?" I asked. I think I would have remembered a cute flower boy with tomato red hair…then again I was only really paying attention to Adrian.

"Yea, but I wasn't there the whole day. I had to get a vaccine shot…But the time I was at school everyone kept talking about this new girl from Italy. W-what's it like…in Italy?"

"It's nice." I said bluntly. _Why do you care? What do you fucking want, my life's story?_

"You know…I know how you feel."

"Huh?" I blinked in confusion.

"Well uhh w-what I m-mean is I understand what you're going through right know. I've been through it to. When the person you like doesn't like you back."

I didn't say anything, but I could feel the uncomfortable heat rise to my cheeks. Why was he reminding me? Is he trying to make fun of me? Apparently my face must have reflected how I was feeling because the guy immediately went to apologize.

"Oh I'm sorry. The reason I know that is b-because you uhh see I heard some kids talking about it...and I'm not usually one for gossip b-but I-I I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry or anything disrespectful…I mean the same thing happened to me with Marionette. I j-just wanted you to know that I'm in the same boat as you….I'm-"

"Who told you and what else did they tell you?" I asked…no demanded.

"Oh n-no one in particular I just kinda overheard…I'm sorry."

"Stop that." _Why the fuck are you saying sorry all the damn time._ "I don't need your fucking sympathy." He recoiled slightly probably because he wasn't expecting me to swear.

"I think you misunderstand…It's not pity or sympathy it's empathy…"

"And what's the fucking difference?" I was starting to lose my cool and fast. He simple rose a delicate eyebrow and coolly replied in a slightly snarky voice.

"I'm not offering to understand I'm offering advice and comfort because I understand." I scowled. _So not cute._

"Well…What else have you heard about me!?" Does he know I'm a liar too! _He probably does the school won't shut up about it_.

"Umm…well Rose told me you rode in first class with Prince Ali and that you're super close to Ladybug. Oh and your from Italy. That's about it really….like I said I usually don't gossip but you were the only thing everyone was talking about. I guess you must be super popular now." He finished with a smile. My anger began to boil over.

"Are you making fun of me!?"

"Huh? N-no. I'm sorry did I say something wrong…?"

"Will you stop with the goody-two-shoes shtick!?" I fiercely got up from the bench and the whole world looked red….red…red like ladybug…. I knew…I knew that it wasn't this guy's fault, but right now I needed to vent and let out my frustration, unfortunately, I would have to project all these negative emotions onto the frail boy. _He would have made fun of you too just like all his other peers. Just because he looks as docile as a sheep doesn't mean he doesn't have wolf fangs…_

"I'm sorry…"

"Shut up! Stop saying things you don't even mean! Is this some sort of sick joke to you! If you're going to call me out and call me a liar just do it already! Why do you have to prolong my misery; do you like watching me suffer!?"

"W-what do you mea-." I didn't even let him finish his sentence. I was ready to blow up. I faced him. I towered over him menacingly and scowled, he recoiled into a little ball.

"STOP ACTING LIKE A FUCKING IDIOT! You know damn well what I mean you bastard! So stop tryi-."

The words died in my throat. I hadn't even started my rant but already his shoulders were tense and his sketchbook acted as a shield, providing fake shelter from my words. I could see his shoulders start to shake either from fear or from sadness…His eyes were glazed over, eyebrows furrowed and lips quivering. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. _CRAP!_ Saying that I felt bad for exploding on the poor guy was an understatement. I felt like I was the worst scum of the earth, a jerk, a complete bitch. _Maybe…they were right about me…_ I let out a sigh that was heavily weighted with frustration, defeat and sorrow.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered quietly…I was ashamed…I sat down…Silence….The birds stopped chirping…probably got scared off with all my yelling….I felt heavy…I felt like I was slowly being crushed by a python…

"W-what's wrong…is there…something I can do?" He asked timidly…he was probably afraid I would snap at him again… I lifted my bowed head and faced him. His eyes were still slightly glazed but they were clouded with genuine concern. The voice he used just now…it was a warm and soothing voice that radiated warmth…he radiated kindness…the nimbus overhead that was created by the rays of light made his hair shimmer a bright red with golden highlights and casted gentle shadows over his pale skin which made the color of his eyes stand out. Lips still pulled down in a small frown and eyebrows still furrowed…I was drowning in his kindness…it was too much…how can he be so kind? I don't deserve any of it…A shutter ran through my body and I try to stop myself by placing my hand over my mouth…but it was too late…I couldn't handle his kindness. Soon sob after sob came out, the dam broke and my body violently shook with each intake of breath I made. Before I knew it I started rambling.

"I liked him and now he p-p-probably hates me! E-e-everyone hates me! They keep calling m-m-me a liar, but I'm not! I-I j-j-just wanted to m-make some friends…B-but now no one w-will talk to me unless they want to say some mean shit to my face! It's not fair! W-well you know what I h-hate them to! I-I don't h-have to stand for t-this! I hate it here! It's even worse than back in Italy, a-at…least there I h-had some friends…I h-hate Paris…I want to go h-home and j-j-just DIE!" I couldn't even form words anymore. My sentences were cut off by heaving sobs. I was so sad and angry and lonely that I forgot that the guy was still there, until I felt a soft pale hand being placed gently on my back. He rubbed his hand in soothing circles as if trying to smooth out all the knots of frustration that I had.

"It's okay…you can let it all out." He reassured gently…I sobbed harder.


	2. What's your name

Chapter two: What's your name? / The first lie.

 **Hey, there sweeties. Thank your for your sweet reviews. Now to be brutally honest...I don't really know where I want this story to go, if you could give me some ideas I would love to hear them. Now the disclaimer.**

 **I Do Not Own Anything! All rights are reserved and please support the official series.**

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I cried and cried and after a while I stopped. I kept whimpering but no tears came out…I think I ran out…

"Do you feel better?" He asked gently. I nodded passively. I felt completely drained and my body felt numb…I just wanted to go to sleep, but I also felt a lot lighter now. I had finally let go of the chain that was holding me down…and I felt grateful…

"T-thanks…"

"No problem." I gave him a weak smile to signify my gratitude…

"So..uhh what were you drawing before…" I asked meekly…

I felt grateful towards him for helping me through my emotional breakdown…the least I could do was get to know him…After all he's the only one to have shown me genuine kindness after the whole liar incident…and I didn't want that kind of kindness to just up and leave. This was my chance…what's even better is he doesn't even now about the liar incident. He hasn't heard the nasty things, he's only heard about the previous rumors, which meant he thought I was the genuine article…and if I play my cards right I can keep it that way…

"Hm…Oh! I was just trying to improve my skills at drawing backgrounds. I usually just leave my characters behind a blank background because I'm not very good at drawing the scenery or I just don't have an idea for the background. I really suck at it." Raising his hand towards his curving lips he let out a sheepish laugh. His shoulders shook slightly from his laughter and his cheeks still retained that rosy red signifying that he was embarrassed. _By God was he cute. I want to hold him._

"Let me be the judge of that." He stopped laughing.

"Huh?" He blinked in confusion...

"Come one, fork it over." He hesitantly handed me his sketchbook and I took it from his shaking hands.

The sketch portrayed the park we were in. The buildings and pathways were illustrated with dark lines and even darker lines illustrated the main focus of the picture which was the elegant water fountain in the middle that precipitated water. The clouds were made with simple strokes of the pencil and lightly blended inward. He even added some birds, probably the birds that used to be here till I scared them off. The birds were more sketchy and messy than the rest of the picture, but he managed to capture the movement very well. The trees were also given life using the same technique, primarily on the leaves of the trees. Light, quick pencil strokes created the sense of a gentle wind blowing. In short it looked really good. Nathanael sat quietly as I inspected his drawing. From the corner of my eye I could see him hold his breath waiting with anticipation for my evaluation…I had to give it to the guy he sure knew how to make someone feel important.

"It looks good. I really like the light messy pencil strokes you did to stimulate movement. It really gave the whole thing a little bit of life."

"You really think so!? I wasn't sure about those parts because I thought it looked unfinished and unpolished. Plus, it was super hard trying to get the birds right because they kept moving. I'm so very glad you like it!" He smiled and his eyes glimmered with pride. I was a little taken back by the amount of passion the quite boy was showing, but I guess I shouldn't, it was quite clear from the moment I saw him that he was an artist and this was his passion.

"So I'm guessing art's your passion." In response he gave me a 'no-duh' look before going on with his little passion rant.

"It's just my life! Do you have any idea what it means to me that YOU actually like MY art!?" _Badump…Why is it important that you gain my approval..?_ "I heard you were one of the best, if not THE best, artist in you entire school back in Italy and that you won a lot of Art Contests. To top it all of you lived your whole life in the place I've always dreamed of going, Italy! Michelangelo, Raphael, Da Vinci, the renaissance, oh the art culture there is amazing, and the architecture just fills me with inspiration! You are just so lucky and amazing and cool!"

I was completely thrown off by the amount of energy that was radiating out of his small body. His eyes had dilated and he seemed to have thousands of twinkling stars of admiration in his eyes…It took me a few seconds to register everything he said, because he was talking so fast… _let me think…greatest artist from my school….Ohhhh no!_ He was probably talking about one of the hundreds of lies I told. I couldn't draw to save my life!

"Oh! Well I-." He interrupted before I could finish my sentence.

"Tell me, what's it like in Italy? The scenes, the smells, the art, the architecture, I want to know it all!"

"Wow, wow hold your horses little red; one thing at a time."

"Oh sorry, I'm just so excited." He tucked his bangs behind his ear as he gave a sheepish smile. "I was so nervous when you were looking at my art and then to hear you say you actually liked it! It was so nice to hear a compliment from a fellow artist. It made me feel really happy." I let out a giggle…but then realization hit…If he found out I couldn't draw shit, than I can kiss any redemption goodbye…this was bad, REALLY bad… If he asked me anything about art I was screwed…maybe I can steer the conversation away into something I do have knowledge about…

"So umm…what would you say is your favorite art style?" _Fuck!_ _Ok, think art, art, art class…What did we even learn in art class! What were two styles we talked about!? I think…uh…idealism and the other one…realism! Wait, no aren't those just ethnic principles or are they also used in art?! Oh surrealism is one! Ok, ok I got this._

"I prefer surrealism and umm maybe idealism…"

"Really, that's cool I prefer idealism myself." _Alright, I dodged a bullet and bonus that's his favorite too._ "Why do you like idealism?" _Crap!_

"Well idealism can let us ignore the reality of a situation and let us dream of a more ideal world or situation even if it may seem like a lie or a farfetched dream. It lets us see what the artist values most and what the artist strives to become and strives to accomplish, what he or she wants to see the world become…and surrealism lets us throw logic out the door in favor of emotion and imagination. We can put to images juxtapose to each other and still have a cohesive image that exemplifies a certain idea or point of view." _I am completely making this shit up._

"I don't think I could have said it better myself." _He bought it!_ "So umm well actually I was wondering." He looked down at his feet and began twiddling with his fingers nervously… "I was wondering if you would…" Oh my god was he going to ask me out! "Can you draw something for me!?" he blurted out…I felt an icy, cold wind blow by…

"Huh!?"

"Well…I…I would really appreciate it if maybe you could draw me something and give me some pointers to improve my art skills!" _Crap, crap, crap, crap!_ That's it! The truth's going to come out and he's going to find out I'm a liar. I'm going to be alone again! He's going to hate me! The only way I can soften the blow is if I tell him the truth now before I get myself into any more trouble…

"You see the truth is…" _But I'm not strong enough_ … "I think there's a misunderstanding."

"Huh?"

"You see the truth is…." _I'm not brave enough to tell him the truth_ …. "Apparently everyone here was just so excited to see the exotic transfer student from Italy that they let their imaginations go wild and they made these huge misconceptions of me…That's why everyone is calling me a liar, even though it's not my fault. That's why I got really upset…I mean there was no way I could have ever lived up to the standard they set up for me. They placed me on this huge pedestal and I ended falling of it…." _Liar._

"Oh my god…I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to I j-just….all that pressure to succeed must have been so stressful…and I only added on to it…I'm so, so sorry. I should have known better than to listen to those rumors and hyped up gossip…"

"No it's fine; you didn't know…I'm just glad I told you the truth before you got the wrong idea about me." _Liar, liar._

"W-well I'm sure you still draw beautifully." I gave a heartfelt laugh.

"I can't draw to save my life! But that doesn't mean I don't take an interest in art. I still love looking at it and analyzing it….umm so….Where you born here or did you move? I sure any aspiring artist would love to live here."

"Yeah, I was born here and I do think of myself as fuckin lucky to live here. Beauty just leaks out of every street and it's super easy to get inspired, but I've lived here my whole life and I would love to see other places especially what I consider the birthplace of art, Italy." I was going to talk to him more when suddenly I heard the buzzing of a phone.

"Hmm…oh it's my parents…I guess they want me to get home now before it gets dark." Dark? Have they really been here that long…?

"Oh…okay…?"

"Hey…" He took my hands in his and looked up at me. _Badump_ "Even if everybody else hates you and calls you a liar and you're all alone…I'll be your friend! Okay, so don't go off and cry on any more park benches…okay?" I just nodded dumbfounded. "Since tomorrows Saturday do you want to meet up later? I can show you around Pairs if you want." I just nodded. "Great we'll meet up. Does 1:00 work for you?" I nodded and he smiled. "Cool, see you then!" He waved goodbye and flashed me a small smile before jogging off...I just stared at his back until I could only make out his tiny silhouette …

"W-wait what's your name, again?!" I don't think he could hear me anymore…I didn't even now this guy's name and I was going to meet him again tomorrow at one o' clock…alone…for a private tour of Pairs….wait… _Did he ask me out on a date?! Am I going on a date with a guy whose name I don't even know! Mama mia…_ at least I wasn't lonely anymore…


	3. Date? pt 1

Chapter 3: Date? Pt 1

 **Hey there sweeties its me again. I really don't have much to say but thanks for your support, it really helps so don't forget to leave a review! And as I stated on my previous chapter I'm not sure where I want this story to go, if you have any ideas please don't hesitate to tell me. So thanks. Here's your treat also disclaimer.**

 **I Do Not Own Anything. Please support the official release.**

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The sun was out in all its fiery glory and had graciously allowed the earth to bask in its presence. The baby blue sky was dotted with light clouds of seafoam that would occasionally cover up the over egoistical sun. It was fairy warm…almost uncomfortably warm. _It's the sun…that's why I feel sweaty and why my face feels warms, just the sun…_ I looked down at my orange watch to look at the time. Twelve-forty five, I was early… _did I come too early…?_ I scanned the park, but I didn't find any bright tomato color haired boys. So I decided to play a few games on my phone while I waited.

A gentle breeze blew and caressed my long hair; I had left it in its usual style. I was currently adorned in some dark colored shorts with floral print on it, along with some black knee high socks, and black heeled boots; in order to contrast the darker colors I put on a simple white off the shoulder shirt. I also decided to wear that stupid fox tail necklace I bought, simply, because I was going to get my money out of it... (I threw away the recite so Adrien wouldn't happen to find it and discover the truth…and that worked out great…so now I couldn't return it…) I checked the time again, twelve-fifty. _Where was he…? He still has five minutes….it's fine…_ I decided to go and wait by the fountain, the centerpiece of the park. Pulling out my phone again I decided to check on my cats. Clicking on the NekoAtsume icon on my phone with my thumb I was immediately greeted by Tubbs…Now I got to go buy more Frisky Bitz… After checking on my cats I decided to check on Tumblr… _After that I guess I could check my Instagram…see what my old pals are doing…_

"Bonjour." I looked up to find the source of the greeting and low and behold, it was little red… _I never did get his name_. He was wearing blue jeans, a white button up shirt, and a navy blue coat with white colored trim whose sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

"Hey, there Cinderella, for a second there I thought you were just going to ditch me." His eyebrows rose slightly in confusion and he tilted his head in curiosity.

"Cinderella…?"

"Well yeah, I'm surprised you didn't leave a shoe behind so I could find you." He kept staring at me with a blank look. He wasn't getting it.

"Get it…cause you left before I could ask for you name…" Realization dawned on his face and his lips formed a little 'o' in realization and then he gave a sly smile.

"I could say the same to you my prince charming." _Badump._

"Touché." It was then I noticed he was still carrying around that sketchbook from yesterday. "Do you always carry that thing around?" I asked pointing to the object in question.

"Of course, any good artist would. You never know when or where inspiration can hit you." He said in a matter of fact tone. "So are you ready to go and see Paris?"

"I've been ready. Let's go." I stood up and began walking…then I walked back to where Nathanael was standing… "Why don't you lead the way; because I have no idea where I'm going."

He gave out a heartfelt chuckle "Good idea. Come on." He started walking in a certain direction and I followed.

"So where are you planning on taking me?"

"Well I was thinking we could stop by Marinette's. Her family owns a small bakery and I think you might like her." _Marinette_ …Where have I heard that name before? Oh yeah!

"Wasn't she the girl you had a thing for? Tell me, what did she do to win your heart?" His face grew red.

"N-none of your business…" _Rude…aww…he's pouting…_

"Sensitive much?"

"Well…I don't like talking about it…"

"Come on I laid out my heart for you yesterday…" After a minute of consideration he finally spoke.

"I…guess you have a point…Well she's kind, smart, and beautiful…and perfect. There was n-no way I wouldn't, fall for her…" I stayed quite… "B-but I was never good at showing affection, so she didn't know I liked her. Then, Chloe!" His voice grew cold and his face scrunched up in disdain. "She made fun of my crush on Marinette in front of the whole class and then…I…well I can't really remember….." His voice grew soft again. "All I remember was walking down the hallway and leaning down to pick up the pencil I dropped…I can't remember anything after that. I'm guessing I got evilized…"

"Evilized?"

"Oh yeah, you probably don't know what I mean…Well you see ever since last year there have been these strange occurrences were people get turned into monster and supervillains out of nowhere…around that same time two superheroes came along Chat Noir and Ladybug."

Ugh! Ladybug! I rolled my eyes at her name _Superhero my ass_ …*Lei _e' proprio un merdoso._ Wait why was he looking longingly towards the distance?

"Anyway they are the ones that turn the monsters back into normal people and Ladybugs say 'it's time to de-evilize or something like that…So when I regained consciences, I saw Ladybug and Chat Noir doing their little fist bump of victory…I put two and two together."

"So what happened with you and that Marinette girl?"

"Well…Oh, we're here." I looked at the small bakery…it looked nice and I could smell the delicate sent of frosting and pastries. "Come on." We crossed the street and went inside. As we entered through the door a small bell chime alerted the owner of our presence. A short woman with warm greys eyes and coal black hair greeted us by the cash register.

"Bonjour."

"Bonjour." We replied in unison.

"What can I get for you, Nathanael?" _Nathanael…so that's his name…._

"Oh, I wasn't planning on getting anything today Mrs. Dupian Cheng…I was actually wondering if Marinette was here. I wanted to introduce her to my friend, she recently moved here from Italy." _Wait…so this wasn't a date…he was just trying to help me with my social life…_

"Oh I'm sorry, you just missed her. I think she was going to a Jagged Stone concert with her friend, Alya. If you like I can tell her you came…or you can wait for her to come back…though I'm not sure how long those concerts last or if they were planning to go shopping later…I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh, it's alright." Nathanael said.

"I know! Why don't you two have some pastries, on the house."

"R-really…" I asked surprised by her generosity…I didn't want her to feel like she had to… "It's alright I can pay…" I tried saying but she raised her hand signaling me to stop talking.

"Think of it as a house warming gift. I hope you and my daughter can become friends."

"Oh uhh T-thank y-you Mrs…"

"Dupian Cheng."

"Thank you Mrs. Dupian Cheng I really appreciate it!"

"Do you want your usual?" She asked Nathanael.

"Yes, please. Oh, what would you like?"

"Hm…I'll have whatever you have."

"Ok, let me just get you a takeout box." Soon Mrs. Dupain Cheng's figure disappeared deeper into the bakery.

"…So, Nathanael…Suits you."

"Hm…Oh you're talking about my name, thanks…Which reminds me w-what's your name?" I sneered jokingly.

"You're only now asking?"

"Simmer down little vixen. I mean the only way you found out MY name was when you heard someone calling me by it."

"Hey, at least I asked, YOU never answered." A sly smile made its way onto his face.

"I thought girls liked the mysterious type." I rolled my eyes.

"Here you go." Mrs. Dupain Cheng handed us a small box with what looked like the logo of the bakery on it.

"Thank you Mrs. Dupain Cheng!" We said in unison, the small bell chiming a soft goodbye as we left.

"So what's in the box?" I asked curious as to what kind of treats hid inside.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I pouted. He let out a small laugh and then opened the box to let me see the context that was inside, macaroons. They were a cheerful pink and were filled with a light pink strawberry flavored ganache center which was delicately sandwiched between the two chubby meringue cookies.

"Yoink!"

"H-hey…!" I took the box from his hand and held it up so he couldn't reach it.

"I think I'll just keep these for myself." He pouted and he tried to reach for them by standing on his tippy toes, but I just raised my hand higher.

"You're really short, you know that."

"No I'm not! …I'm just fun sized…." He said quietly as a red glow spread across his face.

"No like seriously you're probably around the same size as that Rosa girl…I'm taller than you."

"First, off her name is Rose and second you're wearing heels! That's cheating! Come on…"

"Hmm…let me think…if you can guess what my name is I'll give it back to you."

He frowned, but then I saw a glint in his eye as a foxy grin tugged at his lips. He stopped trying to reach for the box of sweets and instead he made himself smaller as he brought his sketchbook closer to his chest, practically hugging it. He let his red hair fall gracefully down his face, effectively hiding one of his bright teal eyes behind a curtain of red silk. His lips were pulled down into a small frown and he stuck out his lower lip in a pout. His one eye that wasn't covered by hair looked up at me and then he said in a soft voice…

"Can you please hand me the box….Lila." _Badump_! My face was red and my body was uncomfortably warm…I let my guard down and the *figlio de puttana took advantage of my moment of weakness. He leapt up and grabbed the box from my hand. He had a mischievous grin on his face.

"You little piece of shit."

"Just for that you don't get any." I let out a whine and he laughed before he actually let me have any. I took one out and ate it. The outside was nice and crisp while the inside was soft and chewy, it tasted like wild strawberries. After I was finished I was quiet curious as to find how Nathanael knew my name. I don't recall telling him my name. I brought it up and he said.

"Like I said you were the talk of the century, it was only natural I heard your name among the many misconceptions of your persona."

"I see. Well where to next?"

"Want to go to the movies?"

"Sure."

"Let's take the bus; it'll be quicker than walking." We made our way towards a nearby bus stop and sat down on the bench provided.

"Hey, you never did tell me what happened between you and the Marinette girl."

"Hm…well you see after the whole incident with me being evilized I realized that Marinette wasn't ever going to like me the way I liked her…So I moved on and I still talk to her but were nothing more than friendly acquaintance, besides she's got a monster crush on Mr. Perfect."

"By…Mr. Perfect do you mean Adrien."

"No. I meant the principle."

"Grouchy much?" He simply rolled his eyes.

"So…is there anyone you're interested now…?"

"Actually…" A fond smile tugged on his lips and a pink blush spread over his cheeks…I frowned.

"Who?"

"I-I don't want to tell, you'll laugh at me…" I placed my hand gently on his shoulder.

"What kind of friend would I be if I made fun of your crush? Go on no need to be ashamed." He nodded and took a deep breath.

"I reallylikeLadybugshe'sjustsocoolandstrongplus shehaspigtailswhichIthinklook totally cute!"

"What was that?" He was completely red.

"L-l-ladybug…I like ladybug…"

"Ha…haha….you have a crush on ladybug…hahaha."

"H-hey you said you wouldn't laugh!"

I kept giggling like an idiot and for some reason I couldn't breathe. My chest felt like it was tied up in knots and the crushing weights wouldn't go away no matter how hard I tried to get rid of them through laughter… _it just had to be Ladybug…_

* * *

 **Lei e' proprio un merdoso-She is an asshole**

 **Figlio di puttana-son of a bitch**

 **I tried adding some Italian curses, but I'm not familiar with the language so please correct me if I an wrong. Because I literally just went on Google translate.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Date? pt 2

Chapter 4: Date? Pt 2

 **Sorry for the delayed update, but here I am now! Did you miss me? Enough stalling let the show begin!**

 **I Do Not Own Anything. Please support the official release.**

* * *

I kept giggling like an idiot and for some reason I couldn't breathe. My chest felt like it was tied up in knots and the crushing weights wouldn't go away no matter how hard I tried to get rid of them through laughter… _it just had to be Ladybug…_

"S-sorry…It's just that…" I covered my mouth to hide my sad downward lips and instead shifted the focus from me to him by pointing at his flushed face."...your face it's totally red like a tomato, it's so cute." His face went from a light red to a deep burgundy.

"Stop it…You're making me flustered!" He said, as he hid his face in his hands trying to hide his embarrassment.

"You're so goddamn cute! What did Ladybug do to capture your heart?"

"Is that even a question? She's brave, confident, intelligent, beautiful, and she wears pigtails." _Yeah right…wait pigtails?_

"Wait pigtails?"

"W-well…I-I-its uhhh..I-its c-cause…"

"Do you have some weird pigtail fetish!?"

"No! I-its j-j-just that…girls with pigtails are k-kind of my type…" I started to play with my hair and frowned.

"Well…I think pigtails are for little girls! I mean…they're cute and all, but people just gotta grow up. What self-respecting woman wants to be treated like some fragile flower girl?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just my personal preference." I frowned more intensely…

"What about my hair…? I have most of it down but I always have these strands loosely tied." I asked nervously playing with said strands.

"I think it suits you. I'm not going to lie you have really pretty hair." _Badump._

"I think you have pretty hair to…" His eyes grew wide and he looked down sheepishly, ears dusted with pink blush.

"T-thanks…" Thankfully before an awkward silence formed the bus screeched to a stop and opened the door.

"W-well come on tomato head!" I stood up quickly and made my way towards the bus.

We sat down. We didn't say anything and silence bloomed from our non-use of words. However, this time the silence was more comfortable…I got the window seat so I stared outside, observing the passing sites, as the bus drove on. Nathanael offered me an earbud. With a quite 'thank you' I put it in my ear and resumed my sightseeing. Nathanael was right about this being quicker and I got to see a lot of Pairs just by sitting here. I silently memorized the names of the streets and watched the people live out their daily lives…I usually don't like being on the sidelines…but it was nice to be a wallflower every once and awhile…especially when you had another wallflower growing beside you.

Paris, with its striking juxtaposition between modern and classic architecture was quite the sight to see, as was the free art that flourished against brick and concrete walls… _I wonder if any of those are Nathanael's…probably not. He doesn't seem the type to vandalize, even if it was for 'the sake of the art'…_ Several restaurants dotted the wide avenues and I could see many high class people drink Champaign in the more regal restaurants while the more economic ones housed your average citizen drinking a pop soda, or occasionally, coffee, if the restaurant offered any. Ancient stone created the walkways that people stepped on, they were literally walking in the footsteps of their ancestors.

I was so absorbed into sightseeing that I almost didn't hear that our stop was coming up if it weren't for Nathanael. Getting up from our seats we were about to get off and let the new people in when the bus jerked to a stop. I was able to catch myself and regain my balance. Nathanael…not so much…Without hesitation I grabbed him by the wrist and harshly tugged him towards me. This just caused his feet to get entangled and he fell backwards, luckily I had my arm out to catch him. He opened his eyes, clearly surprised he wasn't on the ground, but was instead in my arm in a dipping position. He looked up at me with a flush face. Without even thinking I said.

"I think you just fell for me." No sooner had those words left my mouth before everyone on the bus started to whistle and cheer; praising the 'young loving couple'…I had never regretted saying something so much as I did at that very instant. Without saying anything else I rushed both myself and Nathanael out the bus.

"Smooth."

"Shut up." I snapped back, face flushed. Nathanael just giggled in that disgustingly cute way of his.

* * *

The smell of cherry soda and stale popcorn filled my nostrils. I could hear the polite murmurs of people talking excitingly about a certain film; some waiting in line and others exiting said film. I even saw a few kids run towards the mini video arcade that the theater provided. I looked up to see what movies where playing. One of them caught my eye… I recall seeing a few trailers for the film. It looked decent.

Now I wasn't much of a horror fan. However, the image of Nathanael clinging to me as a I patted his red hair reassuringly was tempting…I don't know what it is about Nathanael but I really want to hold him…It might be because of his short stature…I really wanted to hold him close to my chest and spoil him rotten… _Curse my maternal instincts_.

"So what movie do you feel li-."

"That one, _Remember me_."

"Y-you mean the scary one…"

"Yeah…but…I get it if you're not man enough to watch it…We can watch some RomCom if you want, Cherry boy." He flushed and furrowed his brows.

"T-that's not what I meant…I mean…." He puffed out his cheeks and ran his hand through his red hair. "I was just concerned for you."

"Whatever." He pouted.

"I-I just want to make sure you're actually going to watch it and not have nightmares…cause then I'll feel guilty…" He persisted.

"Well then you don't have to worry about _ME_ getting nightmares. So hurry up tomato boy…or should I call you chicken boy now?" He growled and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"D-Don't blame me if you get nightmares!"

With that we got in line and waited our turn. While we were in line we decided to think about what snacks we wanted to get, we would have just snuck in the macaroons, if we hadn't eaten them all…In the end we decided that we would get two drinks and a large sized popcorn that we would share between the both of us.

"Do you want it buttered or salted?" Nathanael asked. I placed the tip of my finger on my chin in thought.

"Hmm…I like buttered at home, salted for movies." He nodded, and payed for both the popcorn and sodas, I was paying for the tickets.

Nathanael was just being spiteful, he even said as much, 'since you picked the movie you pay'. So, if I hadn't chosen a scary movie he would have payed for the tickets and the snacks.

* * *

The seats where moderately filled and we made our way up towards the middle, seeing as most of the seats up top where already taken. The movie wouldn't start for another five minutes. I decided to turn my phone off in the meantime. In the corner of my eye I could see Nathanael move around nervously. I grinned.

"Is someone getting cold feet?" He stiffened.

"N-no…" His stuttering wasn't very convincing…I actually felt kind of bad for forcing him to see a movie he wasn't comfortable in seeing…

"There still time to leave, you know. The movie hasn't started."

"No way! I'm staying, plus you already paid…Unless…you're scared. I'm sure there's some cheesy RomCom movie we can go watch instead." He said mockingly.

"I'm not scared! I'm just concerned about you."

"Whatever." I frowned. De ja vu…The lights dimmed and we both knew it was too late to turn back…Our pride was at stake… The music stated. Sonorous sound waves bounced off the walls of the theatre and high pitched chords struck randomly. This is it….

* * *

Oh my god! We're only half into the movie and it's already messing with my head…Nathanael was shaking like leaf in my arms and I was hiding my face in the crook of his neck…I was so scared I couldn't even enjoy the softness of his hair and delicate feel of his skin…

" _Leaving so soon..." A feminine voice that was as sweet as honey bounced off the walls and no matter how frantically he searched for the source he found none. He was alone, was he hallucinating again? Was this real?! Why!? He didn't want to be reminded…_

" _Stop it! You're not real. Not real, not real, not real, I'm fine…not my fault, not my fault…!"_

" _I trusted you…"_

" _Please…."He whimpered helplessly. He hid himself in a desolate corner; his eyes tightly shut, hands over his ears, as he frantically shook his head to get rid of any demons in his mind._

" _Said we stay together…Well…despite everything you've done…I still love you…Join me…Stay with ME FOREVER!" His eyes shot open and-_

"Ahhhh!" I tighten my grip around Nathanael's waist and he hid his face in my hair.

"Ahhh….! I have go to the bathroom, crazy bad!" I practically shouted. I didn't have to go to the bathroom, but I was ready to book it.

"Me to! Let's go…" We rushed out as fast as we could…

Silence…We didn't say anything…We were still shaking and I hadn't noticed that I was still holding Nathanael's hand…

"…Do you want to sneak into a Disney movie?"

"Yes, please…"

* * *

"That was a good movie...got to give them credit. Not only did they deal with a subject most movies don't have the balls to talk about but they also did it in a very clever and creative way." I nodded in agreement.

"Hey, want to play a few rounds?" I asked pointing at the mini arcade just left of the exit door.

"I'm not much of a player…but okay, we can play a few rounds."

"How about we make things more interesting…"

"Interesting, how so?"

"Let's make a bet." He frowned; he didn't seem to like the idea. "If I win you have to hold my hand and shower me in complements…AND do everything I say."

"And if I win." I grinned. Oh sweet, innocent Nathanael you already admitted that gaming wasn't your forte; this was going to be a walk in the park.

"You won't." He frowned.

"Fine, it's a deal." Hook, line, and sinker, I knew his pride wouldn't let him refuse my little bet.

We made our way towards the mini arcade. The arcade was small and you could literally have a conversation with someone on the other side, but it did have popular mainstream games. In the corner was Dance, Dance Revolution and right next to it was a small claw machine that was filled with little stuffed toys from a variety of video games. Arcade games lined the two opposite walls some of the games included but were not limited to Pacman, racing games, and first person shooters. In the middle of the small arcade was an ice hockey table.

"Seeing as I OBIVOUSLY have the advantage; I'll let you chose your death sentence."

"How generous of you…Hmmm…" He said sarcastically and then placed his finger on his chin in thought as he scanned the arcade…There was a slight glimmer in his eyes that I barley caught…I decided to ignore it. He smiled and pointed to the arcade game he wanted to challenge me on…Street Fighter.

"Good choice. I'm going to wipe the floor with you, little red."

-~1 minute later~-

Game over…I lost…Nathanael looked stupid with his happy victory smile.

"Guess I won, huh?"

"You only won 'cause I was going easy on you! Let's play again no fooling around this time." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Game over. Ugh!

"Come one more time I wasn't ready….!"

"Game over." UGH!

"All or nothing!"

Game over. AUGH!

"One more time!"

Game over.

"Again!"

Game over.

"Again!"

Game over.

"AUUGH! Stop beating me!"

"Hey you okay…?"

"I'M PREFECTLY FINE! Come on one more round!" He let out a tired sigh.

You Win!

"Yes, yes! In your face Nathanael! I won!"

"Great! Now let's go its getting dark."

"Really…? I hadn't noticed…guess I was really into it right?" He laughed nervously.

"Guess I got to do everything you say now." Wait a minute…something wasn't right….

"Oh, hell no! You let me win!" He put his hand over his heart in fake hurt.

"I would never!" I raised an eyebrow… "Well… you weren't going to quit any other way…"

"Nathanael…!" I whined

"On the plus side you won…"

"It doesn't feel like it…" I mumbled as I folded my arms and pouted.

"Aww you're so cute when you pout." _**Badump!**_ What did he just say….? My face turned red. "What…was it something I said…?"

"Did you…call me cute?"

"Well yea wasn't that part of the deal….? If you won I would have to shower you in complements."

"I-I was kidding about that…" I said nervously….I, highly, doubt I could handle all his praise…my heart would explode…

"Oh…Well what do you want me to do…I recall you said you wanted me to hold your hand, right?" He said thoughtfully, offering me his hand. I took it hesitantly. "Well come on, I'll take you home." I nodded obediently…I felt like a child, being held by the hand and being gently pulled along.

* * *

The golden disk gently glided down from the sky and the sky turned pink, coated with giant orange clouds. The two teens walked silently, hand in hand, any bystander would immediately assume they were two love birds sharing a romantic late evening walk. But, they weren't…they were just friends…no even less than that, they were friendly acquaintances…Lila reasoned… Nathanael on the other hand was a little flustered with the notion of holding Lila's hand because although he saw her as a new acquired friend he was not blind. He knew that Lila was very beautiful with her olive colored skin, her big, bright eyes, and her beautiful long flowing brown hair. He now noticed she looked even more beautiful against the harmonizing warm colors of the sunset. His left hand twitched...he wanted to draw her…He wondered if she would allow him to draw her…or maybe she would get creeped out…he would ask her another time. But, as of right now both were savoring the peaceful silence that was shared between them. Nothing was said and they could only hear the soft breathing of the person they were holding hands with and the steady sound of footsteps. It was nice…

Lila could see her apartment not too far away. It was tucked in securely by cafes and shops.

"You can let go now…I see my apartment up ahead." He didn't let go. Instead he looked at her and said.

"You think we can do this again some other time."

"I don't see why not…Just as long as you don't beat me in anymore video games, I thought you said you weren't a gamer…I call bullshit." He laughed.

"I'm not a gamer but when you're friends with people like Kim, Alex, and Max you usually end up playing. It just so happens I'm the master of button mashing."

"You had an advantage." Lila pouted.

"Funny, I remember hearing you say _YOU_ had the advantage…"

"Well…You're a tomato."

"Tomato…? Is it because of my hair? I would really appreciate it if you stopped referring to me by my hair color…and constantly reminding me of my height."

"Not gonna happen little red." He pouted and Lila let out a giggle.

"What floor do you live on?"

"Third floor."

"Okay…" A brief silence hung over them until Lila decided to speak again.

"What am I going to do when school starts...?"

"Just tell them what you told me…about the rumors and the pressure…I'm sure they'll understand if you tell them the truth…" _Expect it isn't the truth._ Lila thought…

"I think it's too late for that…They'll just think I'm lying…Besides I got you…that's all I need." He flushed…

"I still want you to have more friends…I'm not very social and I feel like you need more people to hang around then just me…I'll introduce you to some of my friends…Then you can have more emotional support and social interactions…"

"…Nathanael…" Lila stopped walking. Nathanael stopped as well, he didn't hear Lila call his name because she said it so softly, the only reason he stopped was because they were now in front of Lila's door number.

"This is your number right?"

"Nathanael…" She said a little more loudly…

"Yes…?"

"W-why…"

"Why…what?"

"Why are you so nice to me…why do you go to the trouble of trying to help me, when you don't even know me…?" He let go of her hand and stared blankly at her. This caused Lila to freak out internally; she could never really tell what was going on in Nathanael's head.

"I'm not really sure…I guess after seeing you cry…I couldn't bear the thought of seeing you shed any more tears, I didn't want to see you become sad or bitter…it doesn't suit you're pretty face." _Badump_. Lila's heart skipped a beat and Nathanael remained blissfully unaware of that fact. "I'm very introverted and I'm not good at expressing my emotion…I have lots of emotions…but I keep them to myself…I always bottle them up…I-I didn't have anyone to talk to and it was hard…it was hard being by myself…So when Rose and Juleka wanted to be friends…it really helped. I felt lighter and happier because I could vent, because I had friends that would listen and give me advice and wouldn't judge me. I wanted you to feel lighter to…"

Lila gently reached out her hands towards Nathanael's face, and gently brushed his red bangs to the side, and looked into his eyes, searching for any false emotions…but there were none. Nathanael's eyes were as clear and as true as the purest shade of light mint blue. They were filled with genuine concern and care. His reasoning for his desire to be her friend was innocent and pure…Never before in her life had Lila met anyone like Nathanael before. All her life, back in Italy, the only people that were praised and loved where the people like Chloe.

The people with money and gossip and good looks were idolized and everyone else followed their lead. They would lie and spread false rumors to gain popularity or to discredit someone…That was how Lila learned how to lie, learned how to shield her true intentions and feelings so she wouldn't get hurt. But, it was different here…Gently she leaned foreword with half closed eyes…She was being selfish again…but right now…she wanted to be selfish…Nathanael was frozen in place…Why was she leaning forwards towards him…she was close, too close…what was she doing…He unconsciously leaned back and his pulse skyrocketed. They were so close when suddenly…

The door opened and the pair froze….An Italian man around his early thirties or late twenties stepped out from Lila's apartment…He had the same colored eyes as Lila and the same olive colored skin. The main difference was the man's jet black hair, strong jawline, and sharp nose. That was when Nathanael knew if this man was who he thought he was…and given the two teens' position of close proximity he was royally screwed…He hoped that if there was a God that this man was merely the landlord…or maybe this was Lila's next door neighbor and Nathanael got the apartment number wrong…But then he heard the one word he feared most come out of Lila's mouth…

"Pa'pa!" _Fuck…Guess I'm becoming an atheist._

* * *

 **So, how was it? I hope you liked it. I decided to play around with different POVs. I thought it would be kind of boring with only one POV and it (the story) would lack depth with diversity in POVs. So from now own I might switch it up a bit, but the main POV will still be Lila's. In any case I hope you enjoyed your treat and I'll try to update sooner next time. Thanks for reading my story and don't forget to leave a review.**

 **P.S. this was probably my longest chapter so far. :)**


	5. Meet the parents

Chapter 5: Meeting the parents.

 **I'm back baby! Nothing to report so lets no delay anymore and get started!**

 **I Do Not Own Anything Please Support the Official Release**

* * *

"Papa!" Lila exclaimed surprised…

She hadn't expected her father to be home…Her parents were always on some business trip, always too busy to spare her the time of day…It was only then had she realized how close she was to Nathanael…speaking of who…he was deathly pale and breaking out into a cold sweat, silently shaking in fear.

"Lila!" Lila's father exclaimed in surprise before his gaze fell on the fragile looking boy who was currently freaking out. "Who is this?" He demanded in a cold voice. Lila and Nathanael quickly separated, creating as much distance as they could between each other.

"B-b-bonjour…My name i-is Natanae-."

"I didn't ask you." Nathanael gulped and Lila merely frowned…since when did her father care about her personal life.

"S-sorry…" Nathanael mumbled apologetically…this caused Lila's frown to deepen… _Why should Nathanael apologize? He was just being polite!_

"Chi e questo ragazzo?" (Who is this boy?)

"Lui e un amico…" (He is a friend) Lila mumbled in response. The older man raised an eyebrow in disbelief and gave a cold side glare to his daughter's 'friend.'

"Terribilmente amichevole." (Awfully friendly.) Lila frowned and a light blush dusted her cheeks.

"E...?" (And...)

That was all Lila had to say in order to get her point across. She didn't care what her father thought and that one word held a good deal of subtext; subtext, such as, why do you care? I can do what I want, leave him out of this, and don't mess with my personal affairs. Lila's father could tell that Lila was serious about this. He couldn't recall her ever talking back to him...then again he wasn't ever there for her to talk to...But, if she thought he wasn't going to be a nosy father, she had another thing coming. His gaze fell on the redhead who, moments ago was uncomfortably close to his daughter. Was this the type of guy his daughter liked? The boy was small, pale, and looked like fragile china. _Lila could do better..._ This wasn't a man this was a little boy who could never protect his daughter.

"You, boy, what are your intentions with my daughter." He asked in a straightforward manner.

"Intentions…? Oh! There's a misunderstanding! It's not like that…." The boy said, with his hands up in surrender.

"So what you're saying is you don't think my daughter is good enough."

"No, no, no! That's not what I-I meant…Your daughter is very beautiful…wait d-don't' misunderstand…I-I just want to be friends. I promise, sir!" The boy's face resembled a ripe tomato and Lila's father could tell that the boy meant no harm. However, one quick look at his daughter and he could see her obvious disappointment in the boy's response…Something resonated deep within him and the man knew it was time to step up and become a father…even if it meant trifling in his daughter's affairs and love life.

"I see…if that's the case…Come back here tomorrow morning. I'm sure you know that we just recently move here and we still haven't fully unpacked, it would be nice if Lila's new friend could help out."

"R-really…Okay! I'll come back tomorrow. It was nice meeting you, sir…Guess I'll see you tomorrow…" He said to Lila.

"Yeah guess you will…and thanks for dropping me off." Nathanael smiled and Lila decided to be bold. With no hesitation she placed a quick kiss on Nathanael's cheek. "Ciao!"

With that she pushed both herself and her dad into the apartment and slammed the door shut. Leaving Nathanael confused and flustered. He stood there for a few seconds trying to process what just happened…then it clicked…

"That's right…it's a French and Italian custom to kiss someone's cheek …But they only do that with people they are comfortable with…meaning… Lila really DOES see me as a worthy friend!"

Nathanael was happy with his reasoning and although still slightly flustered, since he didn't know people still performed that custom, he was still happy. He walked off with a smile of relief on his face completely unaware of the double meaning behind the kiss.

Meanwhile, Lila's heart pounded in her chest…She didn't move from the door.

"When should I start handing out the wedding inventions?"

She slid down the base of the door, face beet red in embarrassment…why…out of all the days to be a nosy, supportive father did he chose today…She could hear her father's booming laughter, bouncing of the walls and entrapping her in a cage of embarrassment…

"…I hate you…" She mumbled quietly

"I love you too sweetie…Now come on, I got take out!" _Please, if there's a God let my soul depart from my body in the middle of night or better yet let the fiery pits of hell open up and swallow me whole…_ Nothing happened… _Guess I'm an atheist now…_

* * *

The sun carefully peeked in from the window and with no curtains insight the sun unmercifully let its rays drown the room in gold. My eyes fluttered open slowly as the blurry shapes of my room came in focus. I stretched out my limbs and gave a yawn. Lazily I got up and made my bed and when I was done I went to look at myself through the vanity mirror. My chestnut colored hair was slightly tangled and it looked as if I had messily teased it. My blunt bangs were messily framing my face and I combined the knots out of them using my fingers. After I was happy with how my bangs looked I grabbed my brush and began to brush the knots out of my hair until it gently cascaded down my shoulders like a lush river…I grabbed my two orange hair ties and styled my hair into its normal style…I starred at my reflection, with no second thoughts I grabbed two extra hair ties and tied up my long hair into two pigtails. Satisfied I went out to scavenge for leftovers. As I made my way towards the kitchen I could hear the hissing sound of boiling water.

"Buongiorno!" A perky female voice said. I jumped back in surprise. There was my mother in the kitchen making coffee, an unusual sight since most of the time she's off at work. Her short chestnut hair, which was normally always brushed and well maintained, was now filled with knots and disheveled…and she never looked happier, with her warm tan skin and sparkling grey eyes.

"…Buongiorno…" I responded softly, still a little tired.

Grabbing an apple juice box from the fridge I decided to go and make a quick salad. I walked towards the white wooden cabinets and took out a bowl and as I passed by my mom I swore that I saw her eyes glint mischievously…I didn't pay it any mind.

"So…when am I going to meet your soon to be husband?" I spat out the juice from my mouth and dropped the bowl I had been carrying.

"W-w-what!" My mom just giggled.

"Your father told me…"

I was fuming…and I glared at my dad who had recently walked in and made the wise decision of turning around and walking away as soon as he saw the killer aura that I emitted. _You better run…!_

"It's not like that! He's just a friend…who happens to be male…and is kinda cute…and really nice…BUT he's cute in a TOTALLY platonic way…He's like a small kid you want to hold not a man you want to marry…besides…you've never bothered asking me about my personal life…" Suddenly my mother's grey eyes clouded over with sorrow.

"We're never here to ask…We…thought with the move we could become better parents and have a bigger role in your upbringing and personal life…" Her face clouded over with grief and guilt "I'm sorry we were never there for you…but we want to be with you now…" I felt my heart break…the guilt in my mother's voice was genuine and so was the pained expression she wore…

"Thank you…I'm really glad to hear that and about Nathanael he'll be coming here shortly to help us unpack."

"So his name is Nathanael…what would your power couple name be? Nathalila? Lilthanael?"

"Ma'ma!"

"Sorry! It's just this is the first time I've ever heard about a boy you're interested in…besides the typical pop stars and idols…I want to milk it for as long as I can! Oh, this is so exciting! I can finally become that embarrassing mother that every daughter fears she may have!"

"You're way too excited for this…" I grimaced...

"She's got a point, Aurora you can't just embarrass your daughter…" For a second time in that morning I jumped in surprise to see my father standing behind me, arms folded.

"But, Cornelio…!" Mom whined…

"That is…you can't embarrass our daughter by yourself…Do you know how long I waited, all those embarrassing baby photos and school yearbooks will finally be put to use! We'll do it together!"

"YAY!"

"Mama mia…." Was all I could say…I decided to give God another chance… _Please o' Holy Father save me…_

* * *

Walking up the stairs I could feel my blood pump quickly through my veins. I was very nervous because, today I would be meeting Lila's family. It was still relatively early in the morning so I really hope I wouldn't be waking them abruptly if they were still sleeping. Gently, I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. The door opened and out came Lila.

She was adorned in knee high black stockings with white stars and short blue shorts. She wore an oversized shirt with the phrase 'I woke up like this.' She had her normal strands of hair tied up, but instead of having her long hair fall down her back like a chocolate river she had put them up in pigtails. I couldn't suppress the smirk that made its way onto my face.

"I thought you said pigtails where for little girls." Lila flushed.

"Well…it's nice being a little girl every once in a while." I giggled. "W-what do you think?"

"You look cute, but I much prefer your normal style."

Lila's heart did a mini summersault. Suddenly a bright light flashed rendered both of us momentarily blind.

"Huh?" I said in confusion.

"Oh will you look at the two, Cornelio?" I heard a feminine voice say, presumably Lila's mom. She was of average height with short bob styled chestnut brown hair. She had Lila's button nose and face structure.

"Very sweet. Glad we caught that moment on camera." The man from yesterday said.

Lila was horrified… _I guess God really is dead…or he enjoys my misery…_

"Oh! You must be Nathanael. You really are cute." I flushed from the complement.

"Oh uhh thank you Madame…I-I brought a gift…I hope you enjoy it…" I handed them the white box.

"Oh and so gentleman like to…this one's a keeper." Taking the box from my hands she opened it out of curiosity. Inside the elegant, white box was a batch of strawberry macaroons. If I recalled correctly Lila had especially enjoyed them, which made me glad because they were my favorite to.

"Are these macaroons?" Lila's mother asked. I nodded in response. "Oh thank you. Cornelio and I were planning to go buy some later this week to try them. It's like your psych... But, you really didn't have to go to the trouble."

"Trouble…? It was no trouble at all; you can find macaroons in any local café, but, in my opinion the macaroons from Marinette's bakery are the best."

"Well what are you standing outside for, boy? Come in." Lila's dad ushered me inside and closed the door.

* * *

"Hope you don't mind but we started unpacking early."

"Oh, no I don't mind. I just wish I could have been here earlier to help you unpack. Speaking of which what can I help you with?"

"I don't mean to be rude…but we will be moving furniture around and…" Dad started.

"Hm…?" Nathanael looked up at him with his bright eager eyes… "Yes sir?" It was disgusting how cute he was and how eager he was to help…

"Nothing…what I meant to say is…you probably want to take that jacket off since we'll be moving furniture and you might get a little sweaty."

"Oh! You're right. I should probably put my hair up to." Nathanael took of his oversized jacket exposing his red sleeveless undershirt, and I wasn't expecting him to be anything more than skin and bones. I was wrong. So wrong.

His svelte body was evenly toned and lean. With wide shoulders and a narrow waist it was clear he had a lean swimmer's like body. Then gathering up his red hair in his hands he took out a hair tie from his jean's pocket and pulled his hair back into a small pony tail. Too hot, hot damn…

"Honey, you're drooling." Mom whispered. I quickly went to wipe the nonexistent drool. My mom just giggled.

* * *

I placed my jacket on the coat hanger provided and immediately started helping move the furniture. But, before I did I caught Lila's stare. Her olive green eyes were wide and her mouth formed a little 'o'. I grinned and decided to tease her. I gave her a quick wink and she turned away embarrassed. Most people think I'm nothing but skin and bones; little do they know I like keeping myself in shape by doing yoga and basic workout routines. If we were going to be friends Lila better realize I'm not a pushover and that this little tomato has thorns.

Cornelio handed me a small painting of a fruit basket. I liked it, the colors were unsaturated, which made every fruit look fresh and delicious, and it brought color to the dull white walls.

"Who painted this? I really like." Cornelio puffed out his chest in pride.

"I'll have you know that, that fine piece of art was created by yours truly!" He said proudly.

"You paint?"

"It's more of a side hobby I used to do…I don't have much time to paint anymore." I frowned.

"That's a shame. You should take up painting again; after all you're in Pairs now. What better place to re-find your passion in art than in Pairs?"

"Huh, I'll consider it. Anyway enough talking I already hammered in the nail so just place the painting there and then come help me move the coffee table."

"Yes sir."

"Sir? No need to be so formal, kid…After all your practically one of the family, just call me Cornelio."

"Really? Okay, Mr. Cornelio."

"Also between you and me…I like to give you some advice." I tilted my head in curiosity.

"Advice…?" Cornelio nodded his head solemnly.

"Remember gold is better than silver, a woman's desires overshadow your own, and spring weddings are the best."

"Okay…?"

"Cornelio, what are you telling the boy?" Aurora asked as she walked in with small box.

"Just giving the boy some manly advice."

"I see. Hey, Nathanael, which do you think sounds prettier Nathalila or Lilthanael?" Suddenly out of nowhere Lila pops out and practically shoos her parents away.

"Hey, enough small chat I want to get this done today. Go on." They complied with their daughter's wishes, but mumbled quietly under their breaths. I decided not to ask and instead went to put the painting where it belonged…except…

"Hey, there little red need some help?" Lila asked with a foxy grin on her face. I frowned…

"No. I can do it myself!" I said stubbornly.

 _Maybe if stand on my tippy toes I can reach it_. Lila quietly giggled in the background and I shot her a small glare before finally handing her the painting. She easily placed the painting up and gave me a small, innocent smile but her eyes revealed the taunting nature she was trying to hide.

"I could have done it myself." I said stubbornly.

"Of course you could." She said sarcastically before patting my head affectionately. I pouted.

* * *

I lifted up the box of clothing and began walking to my room when all of a sudden I could hear my mother's voice and Nathanael's snickers…. _Oh dear lord…_ I dropped the box of clothing and ran towards the sound of my mom's voice. Low and behold I saw Nathanael sitting on the couch with my mother holding a big green scrapbook that contained memories that should never be remembered.

"And this one right here was when she was three, aw, look she's holding her favorite plush toy, she called it Mr. Voltie." No, Nathanael, avert your eyes…! But, instead of looking away he raised his hand up towards his smiling mouth and let a giggle escape. "Oh! Honey, I didn't see you there. I was just showing you're friend here some of your baby pictures." I could only stand there as my soul escaped my body.

* * *

"Hey, Lila…what's this?"

Nathanael pulled out a small stuffed fox toy. Its fur was dull red and it's once pure white fur was now more grey than white. But, despite the ravages of times it was still soft and squishy with it long soft tail and its golden marble eyes. I gasped.

"Huh! Mr. Voltie!"

"Mr. Voltie…? Wait, wasn't that your stuffed animal's name back when you were three?" I blushed and mumbled a 'yes'. Nathanael burst out laughing. "Shut up!"

"Hahaha…Oh my god! It hurts! Hahaha…I can't believe you still have it…"

"Give it!" I snatched Mr. Voltie and held him close to my bosom, face red with embarrassment.

"I guess you still are a little girl…"

"No I'm not!"

"Wait…what did you use to call yourself back then? Wasn't it Ms. Foxy?" I stayed quite. Nathanael just kept laughing…holding his stomach as he doubled over in laughter.

* * *

The living room was fully furnished as was the kitchen and bedrooms. Olive curtains hung from the living room windows and an elegant vase full of roses sat on top of the glass of the black coffee table. Red cushions surrounded the black coffee table. However the walls felt a little bare.

"The walls seem a little bare, don't you think Cornelio?"

"Well it won't be for long. Thanks to Nathanael I'm going to take up painting again and before you know it you won't have enough room on the walls to hold all my masterpieces."

"Thanks Nathanael for lending a hand, you really didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Lila smiled and affectionately rubbed Nathanael's head. Nathanael let out an embarrassed giggle as he sheepishly accepted the gesture. Before either of them knew what happen they were blinded once again by a flashing white light.

"Pa' pa! Ma' ma!" Lila exclaimed, embarrassed.

"Sorry, honey." Her mom sheepishly responded. Nathanael just laughed.

"Well I better get going, after all, tomorrow is a school day."

"Yeah…." Lila said unenthusiastic….Her parents quickly picked up that something was up…and they were about to ask what the issue with school was when Nathanael spoke up.

"Don't worry, Lila…I promise I won't leave your side. Besides, I'm sure Rose and Juleka would love to be your friends, because I sure do."

"Thanks little red…"

"You know I would really appreciate it if you would stop referring to me by my hair color and stature…."

"Hey, if we're going to be friends you're going to have to get used to the nicknames I give you. It's how I show affection, you know."

"I think it's more of your way of teasing me…but if that's the case I'm sure you won't mind if I refer to you as Ms. Foxy, would you." He said cheekily…

"Okay you two stop flirting. It's been a long day and tomorrow you got school."

"D-d-dad!" Lila exclaimed embarrassed by her dad's statement and although Nathanael was a little flustered with embarrassment as well, he knew the man only meant it teasingly…

"I'll see you tomorrow...Oh! and Ms. Aurora, I prefer Nathalila over Lilthanael. "

"Told you, Cornelio, now pay up!" Cornelia grumbly obliged.

"See you tomorrow, Nathanael." As soon as his name left her mouth Nathanael beamed and he decided to be bold. Lila didn't see it coming; she was frozen in place by Nathanael's warm kiss on her cheek. "Ciao." He exclaimed happily and Lila just waved goodbye dumbly, awestruck. Lila stood still for a few seconds before slowly closing the door.

"Darn it! We didn't catch that on camera!"

"Ma' ma!" Lila replied with a frown, but in reality she kind of did wish they had captured that moment on camera because it felt unreal to her and she wouldn't deny it…she felt absolutely giddy right now. No matter what, she knew Nathanael would be there for her and with that knowledge she wasn't so scared of going back to school…that is, if it meant seeing him again.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. R &R please. I think I figure out where the story may go...but feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews.**


	6. School day

Chapter 6: School day

 **Thank you for all your support, without further adieu here the new Chapter**

 **I Do Not Own Anything please support the official release**

* * *

The sun came out as the harbinger of doom for the new day. I would have to go back to school today. I wasn't looking forward to that. Begrudgingly I arose from my bed and got dressed. I tied up the strands of my hair as I normally would, but just as I was reaching for the extra two hair ties I remembered what Nathanael said: _'You look cute, but I much prefer your normal style_.' With that in mind I decided to just brush my hair and let it fall down my back like I normally would. I then set out towards the kitchen, the house was quiet. Both my parents were already off at work. I didn't mind, it was the norm…I couldn't be angry with them now that I know they deeply regret leavening me alone so much. But, just because they wanted to change doesn't mean they can…work always kept them away…I sighed. However…they were with me all of yesterday, that's a start. _Baby steps, Lila, Baby steps_. I reminded myself.

Once inside the kitchen I decided to make myself a caramel cappuccino. As I was brewing my drink I saw a pink post it note on the fridge and a green one just below it. I went to see what it said. The pink one read: 'We bought some fresh croissants and bread rolls from a local bakery, please eat some they are so good Love you.' I smiled it was it Mom's fancy handwriting. I looked down to read the green post it note, which was clearly in Dad's handwriting. This one said: 'I love you more! P.S. It was my idea to buy the bread.' I giggled.

* * *

There it was…my school…My heart was racing and I felt frozen. I couldn't move, I couldn't think. I have never felt this much anxiety in my life… _Okay…Breath in and breath out…Head high I have too much pride to turn back now!_ Finally I took one step forward…then two, then three and before I knew it I was inside my classroom. I could feel their eyes follow my every move and I could hear their hushed whispers…I made sure to convince myself that they weren't talking about me or looking at me, I was just paranoid. It sort of worked, but the illusion would be broken whenever I heard my name fall out of their mouths. _Just endure it…Where the fuck is Nathanael?!_ My eyes scanned the room quickly. The bell still hasn't rung yet, so the students weren't sitting in their seats, they were instead mingling with each other talking about random topics relating to pop culture or gossip.

"Hey, there!" I jumped back in surprise. I wasn't expecting anyone to come and talk to me.

In front of me stood a girl with pigtails, her hair was a deep midnight blue and her eyes were as bright and blue as bluebells. She wore a grey blazer with black trimming and a white t-shirt with pink flowers and black leaves stitched on the right side corner. She also had on some light pink pants…her face seemed familiar but I'm sure I've never seen this girl before in my life.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to startle you…my names Marinette!" She said her voice full of perkiness and optimism.

"Marinette…? Oh! You're Nathanael's friend right?" I asked, recalling what Nathanael told me…his used to be crush…

Suddenly I felt something stir deep inside me…I wouldn't dwell on it…for now…Realizing that if Marinette was here Nathanael shouldn't be too far behind, right? I looked around impatiently with eager eyes searching for that familiar bright red color. I was so caught up in my search for Nathanael that I almost didn't hear Marinette's question.

"How do you know Nathanael?"

"Huh…? Oh, I…" I _really_ didn't feel like telling her about how I broke down in front of Nathanael in a public park. "We met at the park and we really hit it off. Now we're like this." I said demonstrating her, my crossed fingers as a visual of how close Nathanael and I were…Even though I've only known him for three days.

"Oh…I see." Something in her eyes told me she didn't believe me and I frowned a little before deciding she could believe what she wanted to believe.

"Settle down students and please take your seats." _Wait where was Nathanael? The bell still hasn't rung…_ "Oh, Ms. Lila you can sit in any available seat."

 _Was he sick? He didn't seem sick yesterday. Maybe he had a doctor's appointment…no he would have told me. What if he got in a car crash! Or even worse someone kidnapped him! What if he was getting beat up right now!_ The thought of him getting beat up made my blood run icy cold before it started to boil.

"Ms. Lila."

"Huh?"

"If you would please sit down the bell is about to ring."

I felt a small blush rise to my face but I managed to compose myself. My eyes searched for any available seats, but I only saw three. One was next to that scary guy, Ivan I think it was…no way was I sitting there. The other two were the very last two seats in the back of the classroom. I made my way up towards them. I felt like time slowed as I made the agonizing trip up towards the seats. Their eyes were locked on me, criticizing me, sizing me up. I could feel my shoulders tense. I finally made it and I set my stuff down…Still no sign of Nathanael… _Maybe I can skip school after this class_. I thought glumly as I rested my cheek on my hand. The bell was about to ring when…

"Sorry…"

My ears perked up. I recognized that sexy voice anywhere... My head turned towards the door and there stood little red with his art sketchbook, oversized jacket, and bright red hair. My eyes searched for any signs of bruises or scratches on his pale face and hands, and although his hair was slightly messy he looked completely fine. I let out a sigh of relief. The teacher merely instructed him to quickly get to his seat before the bell rang or he would be marked as tardy, Nathanael did as he was told and went towards his seat…which…was…next to mine… _Hallelujah! God is real!_ I straighten my back and eagerly patted to the seat next to mine as I waited with anticipation for him to take his rightful spot next to me.

"Looks like Cinderella came in fashionably late." I said playfully. He just rolled his eyes as if he was annoyed but that smile said otherwise.

"Haha… very funny Ms. Foxy, I almost forgot to laugh." I blushed when he called me by childhood nickname. I stuck my tongue at him and he did the same before he sat down beside me.

"Alright roll call…" And so the school day began.

* * *

The numbers on the board began to dance with the alphabet in a confusing ritual that taunted my inability to understand the reasoning behind the dance. My face scrunched up reflexively as I played with my hair strands in frustration…What made it even worse, was that this was the last question. The monstrous equation stood tall awaiting my arrival at the end of the corridor as I crumbled before it; weak and drained from the previous equations that I had slain in battle.

"Fuck me…" I whispered under my breath in frustration.

"…Maybe later." _**Badump!**_ I only barley caught myself from falling off the chair, I wasn't expecting that surprise attack.

"Is something wrong Ms. Lila?"

I turned to face the teacher and I could feel the hundreds of eyes turn to face me out of curiosity…

"Oh no just dropped my pencil!" I said laughing innocently as I showed her the pencil I allegedly dropped. Everyone then respectfully returned to their work. Nathanael stifled a giggle. Oh, it was on! If he wanted to play games, fine, let's play!

"Fuck you…" I whispered.

"Ok, if you insist, but I want to be on top." He responded with that stupid foxy smile of his. My face turned beet red and my palms felt clammy; my heart was beating at an abnormal rate. I quickly turned my head back to my paper and took out my frustration and embarrassment on the equation. I didn't make eye contact or talk to Nathanael for the rest of the period.

* * *

Ugh…Science…It was _not_ my strong suit and I found it incredibly boring. The teacher ranted on with nonsense that failed to explain how things worked in simpler terms. This teacher didn't stop to elaborate on anything and went by so fast that I didn't catch most of the information that was fired my way. I could feel the heaviness of my eyes and my mind was at its ropes end. I didn't get enough sleep last night because I had been possessed by the manic muse that would occasionally come down to me and fill me with a short lived high of creativity and proactivity that eventually lead into a massive crash. The sweet promise of relief was tempting and sleep lured me in.

My eyes were heavy with the burden of sleep deprivation and my brain was flickering between the state of sleep and reality. Slowly the sweet hazy mist of sleep clouded my eyes and shapes became hazy and words were drowned out into muffled sounds. My body was floating in an ocean of lukewarm water that helped bring relaxation to my tired, aching body. It felt good to drift off into slumber and before I knew it my head was resting peacefully on my folded arms as I let out a moan….

The moan was loud and it was loud enough to break the hazy glass of slumber. The class was quiet and I could feel the burning eyes of a dozen students staring at me….The moan I let out was deep and sexual and I could only imagine what they were thinking about right know. My face heated up and my shoulders stiffened. I tried coughing to cover up the sexual moan I had let out. It didn't really work but out of polite curtesy they went back to work as if nothing happened.

"I take it, it was a nice dream." Lila said teasingly. I buried my face into my folded arms on the desk.

"Fuck you…" I mumbled, face still hot from embarrassment. I just wanted to die.

"Daydreaming again, sweetheart? I'm flattered, I'd fuck me to, but buy me dinner first I have standers you know." At that moment I felt the entirety of my soul up and leave my body, was this karma getting back at me for teasing Lila? In any case I didn't talk to Lila again the whole period, I was too embarrassed.

* * *

The bell had cut the teacher's words with a screeching sound that vaguely remained me of a screaming raven. The bell signified that the period was over and we could all have our union regulated break and we no longer had to put on the show of interested hardworking students. Nathanael still had his head down, was he actually asleep or was he still embarrassed about what happened earlier.

"Nathanael." I said gently poking his head. He stirred gently. Guess he did fall asleep.

"Yes…?" He replied eyes still coated with hazy sleep.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" The mist of sleep had been lifted and his eyes shown bright with renewed energy.

"Oh yeah! Come on." He quickly got up from his seat and grabbed my hand, tugging me along excitedly. I giggled from his enthusiasm.

But it wasn't long before I felt the rushing flare of anxiety, upon have a nerve racking realization; the realization that I was going to have to meet and impress Nathanael's friends. _What if they don't like me? They probably know all about the liar incident…and if they know about the liar incident then they probably won't let me hang around Nathanael ever again….I'll be back to square one, all alone…I can't have that happen! I can't let them drive a wedge between me and Nathanael._ I was so busy drowning myself in questions and worries that I hadn't realized we stopped walking, but what I did realize was the cold empty space of my open right hand.

"Rose! Juleka! I want you to meet someone." He said calling out to his two female friends. "Lila, this is Rose and Juleka. Juleka, Rose this is Lila."

Rose was around the same height as Nathanael, which wasn't saying much, she was pretty short. Her gold blonde hair was in a short pixie cut hairstyle that screamed cute. She had huge bright periwinkle eyes filled to the brim with wonder and elegantly long eyelashes that fluttered open like butterfly wings. She was wearing a pink striped shirt, a pink mini skirt, white shorts underneath said skirt, and pink dress shoes. Everything about her radiated feminine kindness in a soothing pastel colored aura that surrounded her like a pink bubblegum bubble.

Juleka on the other hand was the complete polar opposite with long jet black hair that was dyed purple at the very tips. Her hair was so long that it effectively concealed one of her ambers eyes from view. She was wearing a dark grey sleeveless shirt with a swan-necked collar, dark fingerless gloves with gray lace and ripped purple pants and black high top sneakers. She radiated darkness and gloom, but there was no malice intent in her eyes. They were calm pools of amber that signified that the girl was merely more reserved and had a heart as gold as her eyes. These were the two girls Nathanael gestured to…two female friends…I felt a familiar burning sensation in the pit of my stomach that was akin to the one I felt when I was talking to Marinette, but this time it was more intense and refused to be ignored like the last one.

"Hi…" I said quietly as I sheepishly waved a hello to them. They looked at me nervously, sizing me up and they exchanged quick glances between each other. Silence filled the air and I could hear my heart beat within my chest and the rushing blood in my veins. I gulped…Out of nerves I made sure to stay behind Nathanael.

"Nathanael…Why did you want us to meet her?" Jukela inquired eyes slightly narrowed in skepticism, as if wondering what lies I may or may not have told Nathanael.

"She's my friend." He said confidently; back straight and eyes bright with innocence; he clearly could not read the tension that was hanging above us. "I thought it would be nice if my new friend could be friends with my old friends."

"Nath, is…is she really your friend?" Rose asked in a soft polite tone.

Nathanael nodded in response. This clearly wasn't going anywhere. I could already tell they weren't going to accept me as a friend…but there was no way I was going to let them take Nathanael away from me.

"Hey, little red, would you mind waiting for me at our next class? I think it would be best if me and your friends had a nice one on one chat…Don't you think?" I asked innocently…

Nathanael seemed reluctant at first but he complied none the less. As soon as I was sure Nathanael was out of ear shot I dropped my smile and looked at Rose and Juleka as a professional aura emitted from me. It said 'I'm here for business.'

"Okay, Nathanael isn't here you can say what you really think now."

"You're a liar." Juleka said. Wow…at least she was blunt, straight to the point, I like that.

"And…?" I asked raising an eyebrow…

"W-we don't want Nathanael to get hurt and we don't want him to hang around the wrong crowd…He's very kind, you know…" Rose said shyly as she hid herself behind the taller Juleka as she spoke her mind.

"I know he's kind…That's why…I would never hurt him. I want to be his friend, I want to be close to him, and I want to take care of him and make him smile…I want to repay his kindness…" Silence…. "I know you may not think I'm trustworthy and you probably want nothing to do with me….but please…for Nathanael I implore you to at least be a friendly acquaintance. I don't need or _want_ your friendship…But I want Nathanael's...Let me put this in a more straight forward way, no bullshit. You don't have to like me, you can hate me, but I don't want you to come in-between me and the only other person in this damn school who has shown me a slimmer of true kindness… I want a truce…" I held out my hand. Silence met my ears again but, both Juleka and Rose took my hand in agreement.

"For Nathanael…" Juleka said.

"If Nathanael thinks you're a good person than I should be willing to give you a shot. Everyone needs a second chance." Rose stated gleefully. I nodded my head and a smile tugged at my lips, before I knew it I had enwrapped both of them in a huge hug.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea what this mean to me!"

"Haha…don't sweat it, but remember if you do anything to hurt Nathanael, emotionally, physically, psychologically…I won't hesitate to tell him the truth about you." Juleka said in an overprotectively fatherly way.

"Just make him happy okay." Rose said motherly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" I said joyfully, relived that we could all come to an understanding.

In my ecstatic state of happiness I gleefully skipped my way towards Nathanael.

"You seem happy." Nathanael politely acknowledged. "I'm guessing you guys got along well."

"Yup! All thanks to you, Super Nath." Nathanael flushed when he heard me call him Super Nath and gave both a sheepish laugh and a modest replay.

"I really didn't do anything."

"You did more than anyone else in this school has." I said as I patted his head affectionately, successfully ruffling his hair into a messy bird's nest.

"Lila." He whined in joy as he fixed his messy hair. I just responded with a toothy grin and a cheeky wink as I entered the classroom, with Nathanael following soon after. I felt secure with the notion that I no longer had to worry about being separated from Nathanael…but just to be on the safe side…

"Hey Nath, wanna go the Louvre?"

"The louvre?"

"Yeah, I wanted to go for a while now. I thought since you're an art freak you may wanna join me…I don't want to go alone."

"Oh yeah, sure! I was planning to go to the Louvre anyway. What time?"

"Hmm…How about Friday after school."

"Ok." He nodded happily. "It will be nice to actually have someone to talk to." That piqued my interest.

"You've gone before?"

"What self-respecting artist wouldn't go to the Louvre if they could?"

"Point take, but what I meant to ask, was you've went alone?"

"Yeah, I go there to study art styles and body proportions, plus it's a good place to get inspired…Most of my friends find it boring, though…"

"Oh, I see." I said a smile tugging at my lips.

I was going to be the first person Nathanael took to the Louvre. This was a step in the right direction, if I wanted to secure Nathanael's friendship and loyalty. I got to have him like me so much that he won't be able to get me out of his head. He'll like me so much he won't even remember who Ladybug is. I couldn't wait until Friday.

"Very well Nathanael, it's a date." I said.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Please leave a review, I love receiving them. Until next time ;P**


	7. It's Friday

Chapter 7: Its Friday.

 **Thank you to fanfictionmakermachine, PureMLTrash, Williuke, mgasmsms, CresantShooter123, Guest, Timewarp321, Syafiq, and Q-A the Authoress for all your wonderful reviews. They fill me with DETERMINATION! If you guys want I can tone it done in regards to swearing and suggestive themes, but that's why I rated this a T (So be weary of more cursing and more suggestive themes, but for future ch. I'll try and tone it down). Anyway, hope you guys have a great day and I swear I will rope you deeper into the void of Nathanael and Lila shipping, if it's the last thing I do! See you in the next update! :)**

 **I Do Not Own Anything. Please support the official release.**

* * *

Friday didn't arrive soon enough. As soon as the sun situated itself in the sky I launched myself out of bed and quickly ran to my closet to get dressed. I decided to wear something different today. That something different was a black skirt with black suspenders combined with red tights and a bell sleeved light beige shirt with a ruffled collar and a thin loose ribbon that tied underneath the collar, like a feminine tie. I quickly brushed my long brown hair, put on my favorite back heeled boots and hurried out of my apartment door towards school. I didn't bother to eat breakfast.

* * *

There was an assembly today, which cut both first periods short. I believe the principle was talking about exams and basketball. I had sat down next to Nathanael in the back. Nathanael was mindlessly scrolling through his white phone with that stone cold poker face of his. I let out a sigh as I folded my arms in boredom.

"And for exams always remember the "tion" rule! If it ends in tion, it's fantastic; concentration, relaxation, participation, etc." Gingerly I leaned over to Nathanael with a devilish grin and said quietly.

"..Anal penetration…" He snorted and his shoulders started to shake violently as he raised a hand to cover his mouth in order to prevent his laughter from spilling out. His face was slightly red now as he kept in his laughter and his eyes were prickled with tears. I snickered along with him. _Everything's going according to plan_.

* * *

The assembly was over and we were told to go to our next period, which just so happened to be theater. I took my seat and the teacher began writing on the white board about today's objectives, or as I thought of it, today's targets. The targets for today would be a Socratic seminar about one of Shakespeare's classics, Romeo and Juliet, going over theater terminology, and to be put into groups of five and make a small skit depicting some sort of love story. First up on our to-do list is the skit. I obviously paired up with Nathanael, but the skit required more than two people, so our other team members where Aurore, Kim, and Alix.

Alix was a short skater girl with messy pink bob-cut hair and blue eyes. She was active and confident; she would be great as an ally; her confidence could easily turn into charism which will help draw the viewer's interest, a great second blade. Kim was taller than most boys here and he had dark brown eyes and black hair that was dyed yellow at the tips and styled into a sharp quaff. He was rambunctious, reckless, competitive, and that means if I could get him to see this project as a competition between the other groups, he would definitely do everything in his power to assure us a good grade.

Aurore was charming and her pretty blue eyes and charism could draw anyone's attention. She was sender and fairly tall with clear skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair that she had tied into two low hanging pigtails. She would be great for- _Girls with pigtails are k-kind of my type_ -Shit…I change my mind…she can't be in our group! If she is my plan will crumple! I was about to object…but it was too late everyone else was already in groups…I would just have to keep my eye on her…I thought as I unconsciously moved in front of Nathanael, hiding him from Aurore's alluring blue eyes.

"Alright so what should the main premise of our skit be?" Aurore asked. I took out my notebook and a pencil from my backpack.

"Let's start by brainstorming first. Just tell me whatever comes to mind and I'll write it down." I said.

"Ooh….I got one!" Kim stated excitingly. "Ok so like there's this marshmallow that falls in love with a mug of hot coco and in order to be with her the marshmallow has to melt and dies."

"….Are you high…?" Alix inquired in a deadpan fashion.

"No just hungry!" Kim responded with a boyish grin.

"Uh…It's a good idea Kim…but…we need more characters since there are five of us." Nathanael reasoned, with a fake patient smile.

"True, true…" Kim said.

"Hm…I know how about we base it off on how our parents met." Aurore suggested.

"Oh that's a good idea!" Nathanael commented. I felt a single burning ember in the pit of my stomach, but luckily it cooled down quickly. However, my grip on my pencil tightened as a result.

"Well how did your guys' parents meet?" I asked casually.

"I actually don't know." Kim said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Probably should have asked them about it but then again I probably wouldn't have listened anyway."

"Well, my dad, meet my mom in University." Alix stated. "She was in the same class as him and he thought she was super pretty. His friends found out and started teased him. The way they would tease him was whenever they were in class my dad and his friends would talk to each other in Morse code, so as not to get caught by the teacher, so my dad's friends would constantly bring up my dad's crush into the conversation. One day after class my mom came up to where my dad was sitting. He was like so freaked out and she just smiled and said 'I now Morse code to.' And walked away, my dad was so embarrassed, but the next day while talking with his friends through Morse code he heard a series of taps coming from where my mom was sitting. She basically asked him out during class using Morse code. They've been together ever since."

"That would be a great skit." Aurore said, clearly excited by the idea.

"Yeah, but…do any of you know Morse code?" The silence was the only answer that was needed.

"Well how about you Aurore, how did your parents meet?" Nathanael asked. My grip on the pencil tightened again.

"Hehe, it's kind of funny really." She said sheepishly. "It was during winter break and my mom was just coming back from buying a hot coffee when, out of nowhere, this snowball comes flying by and hits her square in the face! She falls backwards and drops her coffee on the snow. She looks at the guy that threw the snowball and the guy looked like a dear in traffic lights. A full on snowball battle ensued and after words they went to go get coffee together, and they've been together ever since that day."

Nathanael giggles. "That's sweet." The red embers in my stomach grew hotter.

"Yeah! Really sweet and all but that story was pretty short and only had two people in it!" I stated.

"You got a point. Nathanael looks like you're up." Alix stated.

"How did my parents meet…well…um…They were actually childhood friends and they started dating in like 5th grade or so but my mom had to move away so they broke up. When she went to University her friend introduced her to some guy and it was her old boyfriend from fifth grade. Two days later, after some catching up, she proposed."

"That's perfect! One of us can be your mom, the other your dad, another the friend and the other two can be your mom's parents informing her about the move." Aurore said; eyes filled with energy.

"Man, sell that shit to Disney!" Kim said.

"Everyone's parents seem to have really cute stories…" I said out loud as I rested my cheek on the palm of my hand.

"How did your parents meet, Lila?" Nathanael asked.

"My parents…?" I waved it off replaying that there was no need to hear how my parents met if we were going to use Nathanael's story.

"Come on! We told you ours. I'm curious." Nathanael insisted.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Satisfaction brought it back." He replied smoothly and I let out a sigh, I couldn't resist those pretty teal eyes of his.

"Well it was back in Italy, the local government was planning to build some sort of new office building or what not. But, in order to have enough room to build it they were planning on tearing down a small preschool. People didn't like the idea and so there were protestors. My mom was one of them…things got out of hand quick. So as my mom was running away from the police during one of the several protests she jumps onto the back of my father's motorcycle and starts screaming 'START FUCKING DRIVING'. My dad not wanting to be caught by the police speed off and a car chased ensued…they were caught a few minutes later and put into holding. While in holding they started arguing; my mom was angry he wasn't able to shake off the cops and dad was mad he was roped into the whole ordeal. They were eventually bailed out by some of my dad's friends and that's how they meet."

"Dudeeeee…..that's badass." Kim said.

"Really…?" I asked surprise. "I always thought it was kind of embarrassing."

"No way, Lila, that's so cool…I don't think I could ever see Mr. Cornelio with a motorcycle in a car chase." Nathanael said eyes twinkling. My heart jumped up in glee. I gave him a sheepish smile.

"Who…?" Alix inquired.

"Cornelio is my father's name." I said. Alix's eyes narrowed in suspicion and I knew she was wondering how Nathanael knew my dad's name. "Uh…Anyway we should start writing the script and assigning roles! We are all in agreement that we'll be doing Nathanael's story right!?" I asked hoping to avoid answering the question of how Nathanael knew my dad's name. It worked as we moved on to talk about our roles in the skit.

"Well I'm not much for acting, so I can be the best friend that reintroduces Nath's mom with her old sweetheart and we're going to need a narrator." Alex said.

"That's fine with me, since I'm obviously going to play the lead." Aurore stated.

"Hmm…I guess I could be one of the parents that informed my mom on the move." Nathanael suggested. I liked that idea.

"Then I can be the mom!" I said perhaps a little too quickly and a little too excited.

"Huh? Wouldn't you want to play as the main male lead? I mean we are using your parents' story, wouldn't you like to play as your dad." _Shut the fuck up, Aurore._

"I guess…." _No! Nathanael, do not be swayed by her pigtails!_ "But, I rather not be the main source of attention, plus I'm not a skilled actor….I'm better at playing background characters." _Yes! Hallelujah!_

"Well that settles that! Kim you're the male lead, Aurore you're the female lead, Alix you're the friend and narrator, and me and Nathanael are the parents!" I said thoroughly pleased with how the roles turned out. Now with the roles sorted out we could get on to finalizing the script and practicing the skit.

* * *

"Alright Lila's group, you're up." I felt my heart begin to race and I was nervous, but luckily I have the amazing ability of looking even more confident when I'm nervous. With a smug smile and a wide confidence stance the illusion of a cocky leader was portrayed perfectly. The script was finished, roles assigned, and props taken care of.

Striding my way over to the front of the students I could see Nathanael's shoulders start to stiffen. In an attempt to reassure him I smoothly slowed down my long strides to match his and I slid my hand into his, securely interlocking our fingers in a clasp of comfort and safety. The moment our fingers interlocked his shoulders loosened up, but his grip on my hand tightened. And I could feel the students' questioning glances and my smile turned into a full blown grin. _Yeah, that's right I'm holding his hand so suck it, bitch!_ It's show time.

* * *

Narrator: The budding flower of young love can be seen growing between the two innocent children, who were still too young to realize what they were feeling.

"Hey, Joan, do you like me?" Penny asked; eyes still young and twinkling with innocence.

"Of course I do, Penny!" Joan responded his young boy mind not fully comprehending what Penny actually meant.

"When, we grow up….would you marry me?" Joan didn't say anything…he still was not sure what marriage entailed or why all the girls always seem to bring it into conversations. After a short passage of time Joan answered with a toothy grin.

"Of course I would! If I'm gonna marry someone I would love for it to be my best friend!" Penny blushed at his bold words.

"Really!?" Penny exclaimed face as red as Joan's hair.

"Really, really!"

"Penny, Joan time to come inside now." A voice called for them.

"Coming, dad!" Penny replied and they made their way towards Penny's father…er female father….(Somehow they managed to convince Nathanael to be the mother and Lila the father…how they did so will remain an enigma)

"And what were you two talking about?"

"Marriage!" They replied happily. Penny's father started laughing. Hearing his…her…? Husband's laughter Penny's mother came out.

"What did I miss…What's so funny?"

"They said they were getting married, ain't that the cutest thing you heard."

Narrator: Penny's mom looked at her child, she saw the pure love and adoration that was linked between the two children and time would only strengthen that bond. She smiled that lovely gentle smile of hers and said.

"Well you have my blessing…" Penny's father just laughed harder and wrapped a loving arm around his wife who flushed at the sudden contact.

"You act like they will get married." The mom smiled.

"They might…"

Narrator: Years passed by and both Joan and Penny grew up and as they grew so did their bond. In fifth grade they finally were able to overcome their squeamish feelings of embarrassment and were able to flower the budding rose of love that had been planted several years before…however…

"Honey…. There's something your dad and I have been meaning to talk to you about." Penny's mom said nervously as she fidgeted with the frills on her pink apron. Penny was immediately worried and her facial expression clearly portrayed this.

"What is it, mom?" She asked nervously. Her mother didn't answer but her father walked up from behind Penny's mom and placed a gentle hand on her mother's shoulder as her mother looked away, bangs covering her face in sorrow.

"We're moving." Her father said. At first Penny didn't see the problem…but it only took a millisecond for her to realize she would have to leave Joan behind…she would have to break her ties with Joan. Her face reflected her emotions like a clear pound, demonstrating the distraught and pain she was feeling along with defeated acceptance.

"I-I understand…"

Narrator: With a heavy pain in her heart Penny went to break the news to Joan.

"Joan…I'm moving!" She said with fake enthusiasm.

"You are…?" Penny only nodded but the uncomfortable feeling of pain was evident on her face. "T-that's…I..."Joan was at a loss for words. Taking a deep breath he managed to quell his storming emotions. "I understand. I guess…this is goodbye huh?" He said with that carefree smile…

"Y-yeah…I uhh I have to go now…Packing and all that." Penny said and quickly ran off; hands over her mouth, suppressing cries of sadness, as she looked away in sadness…Joan didn't move….quietly he said….

"I shouldn't cry….I shouldn't cry…." He kept repeating to himself….

Narrator: The day the airplane arrive Joan ran towards Penny's departing flight…

"Joan…"

"I shouldn't cry!" He exclaimed which caught Penny by surprise. "I shouldn't cry but…" Tears started falling and he tried rubbing them away with the back of his hand as he muttered out the rest of his sentence. "I s-shouldn't cry…b-but the truth i-s-s I want to s-say…Please don't leave me!"

Gingerly Penny gave Joan a hug as he held her shakenly. They held each other for a few seconds and as soon as Joan stopped shaking they let go. Their eyes met in a mutual understanding. Slowly pulling her hands free from their hold Penny walked off to her departing plane. She turned back and gave Joan a sad wave and Joan returned it, with a sad smile.

"Goodbye…"

Narrator: Many years later…I somehow managed to reintroduce them and I have never seen them happier….

Both Penny and Joan hugged each other with great enthusiasm.

Narrator: Penny and Joan were reunited and I felt honored to have restored their love for one another…Needless to say…I was the maid of honor in their wedding that took place two days after. The end

* * *

We took our bows and the class politely responded with a round of applause.

"Thank you. That was a very sweet story. I'll take your scripts please and you could go sit down and let the next group perform."

We did as we were told and after two more groups went we were finally able to move on to our next target, the Socratic seminar….

The chairs were situated into a judgmental oval, each chair held the distinguished, all be it a little moody; from raging hormones, young lords and ladies of the future. Before them lay the persecuted, Shakespeare's classic, Romeo and Juliet. It was to be tried in Socratic court, dissected and pulled apart, in the name of education.

"Okay let's start. I'm going to wheel of doom it. Whoever's name it falls upon will start the seminar."

 _Wheel of doom….?_ I thought in confusion, but from the quick look around the room I could tell no one was happy about this. The teacher turned on the projector and the light projection was shown on the whiteboard. There was a huge circle with multi colored slices, each one containing the name of a student. Moving the small arrow down to a rectangular box with the word 'Spin' on it she clicked it and the wheel stared to spin. The colors swirled and blended together as it spun and as it slowed down they separated once again. The name it landed on was…

"Nathanael, you'll be starting the seminar!" One quick glance at Nathanael, who was sitting right across from me, told me he wasn't expecting his name to be called out. His eyes widened in slight fear and his face screamed 'Oh, shit.'

Un-expectantly the phone started to ring and the teacher went to answer it.

"I need to make a trip to the teacher's lounge real quick; when I get back I'm expecting you all to be talking about the play Romeo and Juliet." With that she left…and a quiet silence hung over. If only I had known that this was merely the calm before the storm.

* * *

 **ohhh how was it...? was it any good? I hope I didn't use to many swear. Thank you for all your reviews. I always feel like uh like a...like an anime character receiving a love letter from their senpai when I get a new review...was that a good analogy? anyway I hope you liked your treat see you in the next update!**


	8. Notice!

**Caramel Update Infoooormatiooon! *cue sailor moon pose because why not***

 **First things first! Thank you all so much my sweeties for supporting me, your reviews make my heart resonated with girlish delight. I'm very glad I have been able to drag many of you down into this small ship of mine. I hope I have inspired you're interested in this humble boat of mine. Perhaps you may even write about this new crack paring. I would love to read them.**

 **Notification!**

 **This story will be on a temporary hiatus. This is due to final exams and EOC that I will be taking this week and the proceeding one. Due to this I will not be posting any new update. PLEASE TAKE NOTE I'm not going to stop writing this story, but I will take a temporary break to focus on studies. Expect a new update no later than MABYE May 23 and no sooner than May21 or 22. So don't worry I'm not dead…yet…But I will try my hardest to somehow give you guys an update before the previously mentioned dates, if not for this story then a separated one-shot.**

 **I hope you have a lovely day and I wish you all the best of luck on any exams you may have!**

 **I love you!**


	9. The socratic seminar battle

Chapter 8: The Socratic seminar battle.

 **Hey there! Guess where I am! I'm in Mexico! Last minute plans really, I'm here to see some relatives and I will spent a lot of time with them, so updates may not come in a timely order, like I was doing before. Also I have limited access to the Internet so updates may be scarce. But don't worry I'm only here for a week or two so it's not forever and I am still continuing the story. I hope you're all enjoying your summer! Thank you for your reviews...and yeah Romeo and Juliet is a bit cliché but its something I had to read over and over again in school and I decided I was most familiar with that play then any other.**

 **Disclaimer I Do Not Own This Show.**

* * *

As soon as the teacher left a short lived silence filled the air before quickly disintegrating into friendly chatter amongst the students. I looked at Nathanael, who was sitting right across from me, as he quietly formed words that related to our studies.

"…Romeo and Juliet is a cautionary tale that talks about the stupidity of youth and shallow lust..." Nathanael coolly murmured under his breath as he rested his cheek on the palm of his hands. I frowned.

"I disagree!" I stated firmly and I made sure I said it loud enough so my words could transverse across my seat to his. Nathanael blinked in confusion, surprised I heard his low muttering above the white static noise of chatter and teenage gossip.

"Disagree…? All right; what do you think the play, Romeo and Juliet, was about, despite a tale of two horny teenagers." Nathanael retorted with skeptical eyes.

"How dare you slander the name of a beautiful tragedy, that talks about how poisonous hatred can be conquered by love?!" The chatter became whispers.

"Love? What love? It was all infatuation, no it was lust! They only knew each other for three days!" He fired back.

"It was love at first sight!" I shouted temper flaring. He frowned and I could feel the soft brewing of a verbal war coming along.

"Love at first sight is bullshit." He replied coldly. "They died as fools."

"They died as lovers!"

"Three days, Lila!" Nathanael was starting to lose his cool resolve.

"It's True Love!" I proclaimed fiercely. Then out of nowhere a voice pops up from the background.

"I…I think Lila is right about true love." It was Rose. Her eyes were shinning bright as she allied herself with my cause. I smiled in victory. But then another voice popped up.

"Yeah, but you can't just look at someone and instantly fall in love with them; it's not practical." Alix said. Traitor! She had aligned herself with the enemy.

One by one the lords and ladies separated into two groups lead by their leaders, Nathanael and I. Fighting over whose interpretation of Romeo and Juliet was correct. The game was set, everyone had aligned themselves with the people who shared their ideology, and they had raised an army. _Let the battle begin_. Nathanael's narrowed eyes were the eyes of a fiery general's. We had our armies at our beck and call, armored with heavy books and light quotes of knowledge from ancient mages of wisdom and so the first shots were fired.

"Love is to be delighted by the happiness of another, Gottfried Leibniz!" First shot fired, advantage Nathanael. But he wasn't done yet, he gave the signal for his comrades to fire at will.

"If we are to believe this statement about love then, love at first sight cannot be possible as you can't know if that person is happy by merely looking at them." I growled…they aren't going easy on us but I retaliated easily.

"And what about body language, the way they move, the way they smile and the aura they generate, the magnetic personalities of people that can ensnare anyone with a mere glance. The eyes are a window to the soul and we can create a bond when we see beyond the window sill."

"Funny you mention personalities, seeing as you can't know a person's personality if you only look at them." Nathanael retorted as he send out a few of his soldiers out, loaded with literate bullets and sharp quotes, I sent out mine as well to blockade their incoming attacks.

"We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it, John Lennon!"

The gun was fired by none other than Kim. Luckily, Aurore was able to gracefully block the upcoming bullets with her charming parasol.

"Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration, D.H Lawrence." Aurore replied smoothly as she flipped one of her long blonde pigtails to the side.

"When I saw you I feel in love, and you smiled because you knew, William Shakespeare." Rose said as she hesitantly pointed the gun towards the opposing enemy.

"Love looks not with eyes, but with the mind, William Shakespeare." A faceless solider fired back and redirected the bullet's course back to Rose. The shot caused her to fall, fatality wounded from her own bullet. I snarled out and glared at the faceless solider.

"Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. Let's see for means, Shakespeare; Quoted from the source material that illustrated the powerful love shared between Romeo and Juliet!" I proclaimed as I tried to save Rose from anymore upcoming bullets, by shielding her with a shield made of the same metal as the upcoming missiles. But just as I was about to reach her a sword cut through preventing me from moving any closer to my fallen comrade, cold and calculating with sharp cynicism. Nathanael!

"Show of love, or just being melodramatic?" I was cut down by his cold eyes but like hell I was going to back down. Unsheathing my own sword I wasted no time in clashing our verbal blades together.

"The course of true love never did run smooth, Shakespeare." He frowned and I grinned. "Plato even hypothesized that souls were dived into two parts when they descend to earth, so meeting your soul mate for 'the first time' was actually a reunion." He looked nervous now that I brought in Plato but then he grinned.

"But if that's the case, then even the metaphysical explanation of love at first sight still includes some sort of proper direct or indirect experience with the person in question." I grimaced. This was going to be a long, tiring battle.

* * *

The teacher walked inside the vacant halls of the school towards her class. She was gone for a while and she had no doubt in her mind that her class had gotten off topic. She was not prepared for what she saw when she opened the door to her classroom…if it could even be called that anymore.

The once organized chairs that formed an elegant oval were now piled up into makeshift barricades one on each side of the classroom, evenly split in the middle. Pencils and balls of paper with scribbled quotes on them littered the room like corpses. It seemed as if a war was underway and the two rebel leaders were both standing on top of two separate desks, across from one another. Needless to say she was surprised Nathanael of all people was one of the two, he always seemed like an introverted polite boy.

"I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times, in life after life in age after age MOTHERFUCKING RABINDRANATH TAGORE!"

Lila said as she aimed the incoming missiles towards Nathanael. Unfortunately, Nathanael had his own missile to counteract hers.

"In life after life, age after age, sill means previous experience with the person in question! You contradict yourself!"

Swiftly Lila tried to slash her sword, attempting to catch him off guard.

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart, Confucius!"

Her sword managed to graze him as he fell backwards slightly and Lila went in for the kill, Nathanael smirked.

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction, Antoine de Saint-Exupery!"

Lila's eyes widened in horror as she felt the cold metal of Nathanael's sword slash through her. She stumbled back and Nathanael saw his chance and went running in sword glimmering high above his head and millions of swords fell at his command, like raining arrows.

"You say that you love the rain, but you open your umbrella when it rains. You say that you love the sun, but you find a shadow spot when the sun shines. You say that you love the wind, but you close your windows when the wind blows. This is why I am afraid; you say that you love me to. WILLIAM. SHAKESPEARE."

There was a chilly silence….

"…Doubt thou the stars are fire; doubt that the sun doth move; doubt truth to be a liar; but never doubt I love…Shakespeare…" Nathanael's eyes widened in surprise to see Lila had created a large shielding bubble that had blocked most of his attack. He was reading another attack when….a nuclear bomb went off.

"That's enough! Lila, Nathanael, hallway now!"

* * *

The babbling brook of rage fell upon us as soon as we exited the door. We said nothing…

"You will stay here in this hallway to think about what you've done. You are very lucky I haven't called the principle yet!" She said sternly. The wrinkles on her forehead became more apparent as she frowned.

We didn't say anything…..The silence lasted for a minute…or less because we soon resumed our quarrel, motivated be our annoyance at being sent out to the hallway like preschoolers.

"How can one just decide they are in love? Love is not like that, lust is!"

"That's your opinion…" I responded quietly, not wanting to get in more trouble and still pretty pissed about how Nathanael can't seem to grasp the awe inspiring notion of love at first sight.

"It's an old notion that is dying for good reason because looks are deceiving."

"You act like people don't lie about who they are…" I said as I felt a slight twinge of bitter sadness of the irony in my statement.

"You have a point…but…that still doesn't excuse the lack of chemistry shared between Romeo and Juliet!

"Lack of chemistry?!" I shouted. "Did you not hear me when I said Romeo died for Juliet because he couldn't live without her!?"

"Ms. Lila I ask you to keep your voice down or I will send you to the principal's office!" I jumped back in surprise to see the teacher clenching the door handle and glaring at me to be quiet.

"Sorry…." I replied softly and as soon as she closed the door again I felt brave enough to talk again. "Romeo died just to be with the one he loved." I whispered angrily.

"And did you forget what I said."

"Aug! You're impossible to reason with Nathanael!" I said as I combed my hands through my long hair in frustration.

"They don't discuss their likes, their dislikes, their past, or their hopes for the future; they just keep talking about how much they love the other person." That's when it all clicked.

* * *

As soon as I finished my statement her lips formed an 'o' in realization and her eyes widened and they held a bright glimmer that made my heart skip a beat.

"What if, Romeo and Juliet, wasn't about true love, but young love!" I tilted my head in confusion. "Let me explain, do you remember how you felt when you were in love with Marinette?"

"H-hey you better not be making fun of me…!" I said face flushed.

"I'm not making fun you. Listen, when I was head over heels in love with Adrien I wasn't thinking about what he liked or what to do to get to know him. I just kept thinking about how perfect he was and how head over heels I was for him!" My eyes widened in realization as I nodded my head in agreement.

"You're right! It only mattered that you were feeling happy and blissful and you thought the feeling would never go away!"

"But…did it…?" Lila asked, expecting me to answer and I let out a sigh.

"No they didn't last forever. Time passed and my feeling shifted, as feelings do."

"Exactly! That's why Romeo and Juliet is a story of tragedy. Feelings change with time and…often you find yourself in love with…someone else…." Her speech slowed slightly and her cheeks gained a slight pinky hue as she directed he eyes shyly to the ground but she was quickly able to regain her confidence. "But Romeo and Juliet never got to experience that! Because the two families tried so hard to keep them apart and any rebel teenager would want to be together even more because when you're young, in love, and people say it won't work you want to prove it will work and that your feelings are valid even though their just hormones running their course."

"So the focus of the play isn't about love, it's about the dangerous of prejudice." I concluded and Lila nodded in agreement.

"If the prejudice between the families didn't exist their relationship could've blossomed more naturally, but with the mixture of unknown feelings, hormones, and hostility it become like a battlefield where you had to fight to prove your love instead of having it develop over time."

"That's why Paris says they are all punished…because they are all at fault for the death of Romeo and Juliet. If they weren't closed minded, if they had guided Romeo and Juliet throughout the phases of first love…then they wouldn't have died." I finished….everything made sense now…it wasn't true love it was young love…reckless young love.

Suddenly, without warning, I remembered the clashing of our verbal blades and the merciless attacks that both Lila and I made towards each other using sharp burning quotes. I felt ashamed at my actions and I directed my gaze towards the ground…I didn't want Lila to see my guilty face….Shifting my weight around I hesitatingly let out a 'I'm sorry…' Lila's eyes grew wide in realization and a blush spread across her face.

"No! I'm the one who should be sorry….!" She cried fiercely. I let out a weak laugh.

"I hope you aren't going to fight me about who is the most sorry." I replied jokingly and she gave a small smile in return.

"I would, but I'm too tired from our last argument." She replied cheekily. I just rolled my eyes and she let out giggle.

Over the course of a little over a week Lila had gone from being a friendly acquaintance to becoming one of my closest friends. I loved how confident she was, her confidence was a major contrast against my meeker persona and often she would give me words of encouragement to boost my self-esteem. I loved how she was stubborn in her ideals and ideas, how she was willing to fight for them (case in point today) I, begrudgingly, loved how she teased me, how she didn't treat me like frail china. I loved how considerate she was because even though she didn't treat me like china she knew where the boundary was and never dared to cross it.

In many ways she sort of reminded me of Ladybug…my thoughts soon become scrambled as I think about Ladybug…she always had this effect on me…but I was able to organize my thoughts quickly…I could feel Lila's hands gently slid into mine and I let my head rest on her shoulder. My heart beat was steady and I felt comfortable, even though I'm usually flustered with any sort of physical contact…with Lila it was different….I'm very glad she's my best friend….

However, in the back of my mind I made a mental note not to project my feelings of Ladybug onto Lila, because despite their similar character traits they were two completely different people and it would only cause confusion and disaster if I somehow started projecting my romantic feelings of Ladybug onto Lila, not only would it be unhealthy it would be selfish…I didn't want to use Lila as a rebound….As of right now this innocent platonic relationship we have is in my comfort zone and I plan to keep it that way. I don't want to jeopardize our friendship in any way, shape, or form. With this in mind I made my decision. Lila is my friend, I will never hurt her and I will not purse a romantic relationship with her for the fear that my feelings may just be a projection and not genuine.

* * *

 **So how was it, sorry for the wait really I am. I hope you enjoyed my story please leave a review leaving your thoughts.**

 **I'll see you in the next update.**

 **Love, Caramel**


	10. Change of plans

Ch 9: Change of plans

 **Wow…you guys really liked the verbal fight scene…I got to admit it was the most fun to write! I'm happy you all liked it.** **Don't worry about the teacher though, she** **was** **listening and both Lila and Nathanael got full credit** **. I feel so giddy right now…Why? Because senpai noticed me! And by Senapi I mean you guys! Omg…I always feel this sort of embarrassed happiness whenever I read your reviews. I don't know how to handle your praise! 0/0**

 **Anyway here's the next update. I Do Not Own Anything…**

* * *

After a short, comfortable silence fell upon us I decided to be bold and gently took Nathanael's hand in mine, he responded by resting his head on my shoulder and I could feel his long hair tickle my neck. Over the course of the week we had grown accustomed to innocent physical touches. Nathanael merely assumed that, that was how I showed affection, that I was just a physical person, and that was how people in Italy behaved around their friends. That couldn't be further from the truth, well half-truth. Out of all my friends back in Italy I was always the more physically affectionate one. But, best friends don't want to kiss you or want to run their fingers through your hair or want to cuddle innocently and wait for the sun to rise so they could shower you in kisses…normal friends don't do that….I knew I didn't want to just be friends….

But, I kept telling myself I just wanted to be friends and that the only reason why I want to hold him wasn't because he's super cute it was because I just wanted to hug my best friend...But even I knew that was a sorry excuse of a lie…All that love that I had directed onto Adrien I had now shifted over to Nathanael…and I'm not sure that's a good thing. I don't like it when other girls talk to him (though they rarely do) I don't like it when he talks about Ladybug or any other girl really…I also don't like it when boys happen to come by and make remarks of how cute Nathanael would be if he was a girl. I just get this burning feeling in the pit of my stomach…and I know I shouldn't feel jealous….Nathanael isn't mine to begin with…but still the feelings linger…I let out a sigh as I muse over these thoughts…

"You okay?" Nathanael asked, directing his concerned gaze towards my direction.

"Yeah, just tired."

Nathanael's gaze didn't waver….that's another thing…he's been getting better at telling when I'm lying and the thought alone scares me…Lies are the only thing I can hide behind, but Nathanael's piercing blue gaze can see right past almost any barricade of lies I put up. I let out a fake yawn hopping that that would convince Nathanael that I was indeed just tired. His gaze softened.

"Me to, I couldn't sleep, I spent most of the night away on the internet." I let out a sheepish giggle.

"Ditto."

"Are you still up for our trip to the Louvre?" Nathanael asked.

"Yeah, I've been waiting this whole week to go with you." I said enthusiastically unable to hide the happiness I felt whenever I thought of spending quality time with Nathanael.

"You know…we can go somewhere else if you think the Louvre is to boring…" He said meekly.

That was another thing I noticed about Nathanael. He hated being a burden. Whenever he gets too involved or whenever he starts stepping out of his shell he quickly retreats back inwards, refusing to come out unless coaxed.

"I don't think it's boring at all." I reassured him. He looked nervously at me but he let out a sigh of relief and we quickly fell silent again lost in our own separate thoughts. _I wonder what he thinks about…_

* * *

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, boring lectures, boring assignments, and boring teachers. I let out a yawn as I stretched my arms out. School was over and I was tired…Nathanael must have noticed.

"You tired?"

"Yeah, today was pretty boring…." Nathanael looked nervously at the ground and fidgeted with his fingers…."But I'm glad it's over, now we can go the Louvre." I said knowing that that was what he was worrying about.

"The Louvre isn't any less boring…" He mumbled.

"Nathanael…." I said wearily and I let out a sigh and I was about to tell him that I truly wanted to go to the Louvre, but before I had a chance to tell him I heard Kim's voice in the distance. We stopped walking and turned around to see both Kim and Alix running towards us.

"Kim, Alix...what do you need?" Nathanael asked politely.

"Dude, Alix thinks she can beat me at laser tag! There is no way she can do that!" Kim exclaimed. My hand slightly twitched. _They're cutting into my private alone time with Nathanael_.

"And…What do you want me to do…?" Nathanael asked; confused as to what Kim wanted from him exactly.

"Well….I actually need, Lila."

"Huh?" I exclaimed confused.

"Hey! No way Kim! Lila is on my team. Us girls gotta stick together!" Alix exclaimed.

"Wait…what! I'm confused." I said.

"Look, me and Alix want to have a face off and we each get to pick who we want on our laser tag team, whoever captures the flag and brings it back to their home base or whoever manages to completely wipe out the opposing enemy team wins." Kim explained.

"Oh okay….but you see me and Nathanael already had plans an-."

"No. It's okay; we can go to the Louvre another time. Go hang out with Kim and Alix." Nathanael said…I frowned….

"But…"

"Go on. This is your chance to make new friends." Nathanael insisted. I frowned.

"I'll only go if Nathanael can come to." I stated firmly, Nathanael's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hmm….sure why not, the more the merrier." Kim said.

"Okay then you can have Nathanael and I'll take Lila." Alix said.

"Wait….I was actually hoping me and Nathanael could be on the same team." I admitted sheepishly.

"No way! You two are already monstrous separated, need I remind you of theatre class! It would be fairer if you two were separated."

I flushed slightly at the memory of how both Nathanael and I had managed to tare the classroom in two in the name of our ideals.

"I guess you have a point…." I said

"Then it's settled!"

With that Nathanael and I were dragged into another war, this time as foot soldiers. I mentally pouted sad I wouldn't have my one on one time with Nathanael….I let out a silent sigh… _Oh well how bad could this be…_

* * *

After a quick briefing, where we were taught how to use the laser tag equipment, and the basic rules of the game; which was three strikes, you're out; we were immediately thrusted into the arena. The room was drowned in a dark purple light that was produced by the LED lights hanging overhead and the clouds of fog produced from unseen fog machines wrapped around our ankles like hissing snakes. The theme of the arena was an abandoned downtown London with its bleak brick walls and simple, archaic building structures.

The buildings that provided windows could be accessed through stairs on the left and right sides. These second story buildings were all interconnected and were only there to dress up the second floor were shooters could snipe unsuspecting victims that ran under the two story buildings.

There were two bases on opposite sides and Deadman's land was nestled in-between both bases covered with walls, trashcans, cars, and any other form of shelter or obstacles that protected soldiers from upcoming lasers.

I readied my gun and I could feel the adrenalin course though my body, hands gripping the laser gun tightly in anticipation. I glanced around and surveyed our team. Alix was our leader, charismatic, athletic, and fast. I wasn't as athletic as Alix but I was much more cunning and sneaky, the assassin of the group if you would. Our other teammates where that Marinette girl and her friend Alya; my knowledge on both of them was limited and I didn't know what they're strengths and weakness were yet. But, I knew Marinette was clumsy by nature so she would be a hindrance, Alya runs a Ladybug blog….and though I hate the blog, for obvious reasons, I admired Alya's camera work, her being able to catch the action up close and personal reflected here superior stealth skills well. The teams were four vs four and the countdown would start soon…we needed a strategy.

"What's the plan, Alix?" I inquired.

"Okay team huddle up." Alix said as she motioned us to move into a closed circle. "Okay here's the basic rundown, our best bet for a quick and swift victory is to capture the enemy's flag and bring it back here. No doubt that's what the others are thinking to. So, we need to have two people to stay here and guard the flag while the other two go to retrieve the flag. Our best option is to sneak around and steal the flag; confrontations are to be kept at the minimum because remember three strikes and you're out. Me and Marinette will stay her and guard the flag and its perimeter. Alya, you and Lila will be the main attackers. I don't mind if you land a few shots, but your main mission should be to get the flag and get back. If you're hit lay low and return to the base, we'll switch places so you protect the flag and I try to obtain the enemy's flag. Does everyone understand?" We all nodded solemnly, but there was still one question that lingered in my mind.

"You guys made this a bet right?" Alix nodded. "What did you bet?" I asked. Alix grimaced and solemnly stated.

"If we fail…don't forget how badass I was." I decided not to pry and simply nodded. The countdown started. I readied my gun.

* * *

I ran with my back hunched over, hiding behind a bleak wall of fallen architecture. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, I was sure the enemy would be able to hear its irregular beating. I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves. I quickly glanced from behind the wall to make sure the coast was clear. Alya and I had decided to split up. I would take one side and she would take the other effectively creating a circle around were we would sneak up from behind enemy lines.

The coast seemed clear, but just as I was about to run out something caught the corner of my eye. It was red and flashing, but small and hard to see through the misty fog. I looked up towards the second story window and my hunch was correct, a sniper; I silently cursed under my breath. As I quickly reeled my head back against the wall, hoping he hadn't seen me. I tried creating a mental picture of the current lay out.

Currently in front of me is a mini maze filled with corners and protective cover. However, a sniper had the higher ground from the second story building with his gun out and pointed to shoot at anyone who tried to get by. I could try and run through using the covers provided as shields…but the risk was too great. When you're up against a sniper who has higher ground, you know you're at a disadvantage. I would have to abort.

Quickly I ran away from the danger zone….as I was running a plan formed in my mind. I smiled as I found the stairs to the second floor. Quickly running up the stairs I smiled as my plan began to flourish, however this was a slightly risky plan…I located the sniper his back turned. I smiled and shot his back, immediately he tried to retaliate by turning around, but I had already booked it. He was without a doubt trying to chase me down. I couldn't let him catch me.

I saw the opposite set of stairs and as I got closer I quickly turned the corner and hid against the wall in front of the stairs. I remained perfectly still. I waited and I could hear footsteps…They echoed softly and I could see the sniper's bright lights shine against the bleak and dark settings. He ran past me and looked left and right with narrowed eyes. With his back turned I could now identify him; it was Nino, Adrian's best friend.

Before he noticed me behind him I silently backtracked up the stairs and made my way towards the enemy's base from the second floor. _So far, so good…_ From the window I aimed my laser gun towards the enemy base. I waited and soon I saw something that made my heart drop…. _Adrian…._

* * *

 **Look what's this its an update! update! I hope you really like it! don't hate, please rate with constructive criticism. UPDATE! Yeah that's really I had to say...I can't wait for the next few chapters though...fufufufuf...**

 **See you in the next update my sweet senpai!**


	11. Winning the game

Ch 10

 **Howdy! So regarding Adrien's name my brother is named Adrian, with an A so I guess I just autocorrect myself whenever I'm writing his name. -.-; In any case thank you for your criticism regarding the commas. I remember in English class we had to take a test on commas. I think I just overuse them to make up for the fact I don't use them. Okay Oh! and also I'll be going back to the USA soon, If yo didn't now I'm visiting family in Mexico so a new update may be slightly delayed. Thank you for leaving your comments and reading my story. It makes me happy reading all your reviews. Anyway! Back to where we left off...I think you may enjoy this battle too, I hope you do senpai.**

* * *

 _I should have known; if Nino was here Adrien would be to!_ My hands involuntary started to shake. Adrien's toned back was facing me, his soft locks of golden hair were illuminated a sick pale yellowish green under the purple lights. Here stood my crush, the person who I thought I could not live without, here stood a memento of my mistake, my mistake of over idolizing a person, of lying to that person out of a selfish desire. In front of me stands a person that reminds me of every mistake I've ever made, of every person I've ever trampled who got in my way. I stood there for a few minutes agonizing over my internal conflict….I shook my head vigorously trying to dispel all negative thoughts. Now wasn't the time for petty emotions I thought even though my stiff shoulders said otherwise. _Remember your plan…_

 _Yes my plan, my plan…okay…get your head in the game, Lila!_ Currently everything was going according to my quickly formulated plan. The plan was that as soon as I saw Alya sneak up from behind them I would divert their attention to me rather than the flag, so Alya would have a head start at getting the flag and getting out. Plus with me being on higher ground….it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. I smiled at the brilliance of my plan…I had to be careful though…if they saw me before Alya made it I could be in big trouble…So I decided to lay low and hope they wouldn't see me with my flashing laser tag equipment.

I waited….and waited…and waited…. _Where the fuck is Alya._ I thought my mind soon started to panic…What if Nino finds me, what if they see me, what if Alya got caught, what if they sent troops to attack the home base? Millions of scenarios ran through my head, none were positive. I wish we had some form of communicating amongst each other, perhaps then my mind could be more at ease, since I would be constantly informed of my troops' whereabouts and status. Maybe, we shouldn't have split up…I thought solemnly…. _Screw it!_

With that I aimed my gun at Adrien's chest and fired, before he could focus on where I was hitting him from I ran towards the stairs and made my way towards the enemy's base. My heart pounded, my slightly clammy hands gripped my gun as I ran, occasionally ducking and checking my surroundings for any on coming threats. When I found none I would run again…I was so close now and Adrien was nowhere in sight. He must have gone off looking for the mysterious shooter. A wild grin itched its way across my face. I saw the flag…

"Lila!" a female voice whispered harshly as a random hand grabbed my wrist and brutally pulled me down. I hissed out, before realizing it was one of my teammates, Alya.

"Alya..?" I was confused.

Alya merely raised a finger over her firmly sealed lips. I shut my lips sealed. Alya looked from her left to her right with cautious eyes before speaking.

"Listen, the flag's a trap." Alya whispered. I was confused and Alya was able to perceive this, she continued. "I was heading towards the flag when I was caught off guard, and I lost a life, I managed to escape…but at least now I know their strategy, which was to leave one guard to encircle the perimeter of the base while the rest snipped down any on coming threats from the second floor. They probably have another guy by the flag for good measure. They make it seem like its ill guarded and then they trap you." Alya explained…Now it all made sense.

"What do we do know?" I thought out loud…Burrows slightly furrowed. "We need a new approach…." I said as I grabbed my chin thoughtfully and tried to think of a new strategy.

"We need to regroup and rethink our plan…." Alya said.

"At least know we know who's on Kim's team. That should make things easier since now we can exploit their weakness." I said, hopping to maintain high spirits. Alya nodded in agreement.

"Quickly, before they spot us…!"

* * *

We made it back to the base safely and relayed the information we found to our boss, who was currently biting the nail of her thumb in annoyance and thought.

"I see, so that's his plan…." She mumbled…

"What are we going to do now?" Marinette asked, also lost in thought. Alix closed her eyes in thought and stopped biting her nail.

"They obviously went with a strong defensive trap…We need to coax them out if we want to have a shot at winning…Ok! New plan, forget the flag we are going to systematically take out every player on Kim's team. Lila, what information do you have over the status of the enemy?"

My back straightens at the sound of my name and I automatically replied with a calculative voice.

"Currently Kim's team consist of himself, Nino, Nathanael, and Adrien." I said…and I didn't miss how Marinette's shoulders seemed to tense at the sound of Adrien's name. "Adrien was circling the perimeter and Nino was one of the snipers. I managed to hit both of them successfully and they now only have two lives. I have no knowledge of Kim or Nathanael's status."

"Oh, Kim was a sniper!" Alya said supplying us with an extra, rather surprising detail…considering that I had originally thought the other sniper would have been Nathanael, since Kim doesn't seem like he has the required patients to wait for his enemy to walk in his line of fire.

"And…What about Nathanael..?" I asked Alya, slightly worried for his well-being.

"I haven't seen him….I'm guessing he might be the one that is actually guarding the flag." Alya responded thoughtfully.

"Hm…that might be a risky variable….Nathanael may not seem like it, but he's a real threat, considering he can easily hide in small spaces….and I have no doubt in my mind that Kim brought out Nathanael's competitive side…which won't fair well for us…but in any case, let's ends this game." Alix said placing her hand on her hips with a confident smirk. We nodded in agreement.

* * *

Me, Alya, and Alix were going to eliminate all the players while Marinette suggested she stay behind to protect the flag. Out first target was Nino. I lead my team to the last place I had saw Nino, which was the right hand entrance to the upper story level. He wasn't there. I told them that the first time I saw him was on the upper story building that overlooked the middle of the labyrinth like street below it.

"If he retook his position, then this makes it all the easier, but still we want to know _exactly_ where he is so we can land two direct shots…" Alix said and after pondering for a bit a simple plan was devised.

Our plan was to take advantage of his two blind spots. There were two buildings that were in his blind spot and Alya and I were stationed on those to buildings, we were the snipers, Alix was going to be the bait. So, as soon as Nino fired at Alix we would know his exact locations thanks to the blinking lights of his laser tag armor, which would greatly contrast the foggy bleak atmosphere.

Alix jogged through Nino's line of fire, unsuspectingly. A shot was heard and Alix was barely able to dodge it by barrel rolling out of the way and hiding behind a trash can. He took the bait. We quickly located his spot and aimed…then bang! Before Nino had even realized it he was shot from his blind spots. But before Alya could get her shot in Nino quickly turned to the sound of the first shot, me, and fired rapidly before Alya shot him in the back, as he fell down in defeat he gave a weary smile… _GG….GG…_ Unfortunately he had managed to land a shot on me before I had enough time to cover. So I was down one life…but at least we got one down…. _three more to go…_

A small cannon explode in the distance signifying the 'death' of a player, and on the screen board that overlooked the entire arena, with the names and faces of all players, showed Nino's picture with a big red spray-painted 'X' over it. Unbeknownst to us at the time that this small victory showed on screen, alerted the opposing team, making them change their tactics in preparation for a more offensive approach.

* * *

"So this is where you last saw Kim, right?"Alix asked.

"Yes." Alya replied.

We planned on using the same strategy as before, however something seemed a little off, Alix must have sensed this to because she turned to me and instructed me to switch places with Marinette.

"It would be for the best, you and Alya are already down one life, we don't want to take any unnecessary chances."

I nodded, already understanding it would be far better to switch out with someone with more lives to spare. I quickly turned on my heel and ran towards the base, where I informed Marinette that she will be sent to the front lines. Although hesitant she complied. I watched her go, her pigtails swaying as she ran towards the rest of the squad. That's when everything got thrown into chaos…

To quickly summarize the series of events that unfolded the first thing that happened was a surprise attack from the enemy. The shooters were Adrien and Kim. The team was able to get rid of Kim but at a cost, one life from Alya and Marinette. Marinette could have taken down Adrien, but she didn't, probably because she had a crush on him. (It was painfully obvious.) However, this moment of weakness led to the death of Alya, who tried to protect Marinette. The canon sounded and a gashing red 'x' was spray painted across Alya's face. With one solider down Alix and Marinette quickly retreated back to the base.

"Marinette what was that?" Alix demanded.

Marinette looked apologetically at the floor and whispered a quiet sorry. Alix gave a tired sigh and reassured Marinette that it was fine, but she had to get her head in the game.

"What do we do now?" I asked. Alix bit her thumb in concentration.

"Well…it's three to two…we obviously have an advantage, though that advantage can be easily taken away if we're not careful. We still have no idea where Nathanael is…and Adrien is like a one man army! Our best bet is to try to get the flag before they kill us." We all nodded in unison.

Things didn't go as planned. Even though we cut the head, Kim, out of commission it was clear to see there was another head calling the shots. Because just as we were weaving our way through the narrow streets lined with small buildings we were attacked once again…but this time it was Nathanael.

He came out of nowhere, like death. We didn't realize he was hiding behind a small corner from behind us, until it was too late. He shot both Marinette and Alix. I was left unharmed since I was more up front then they were. Running and hiding would be hard to do in the narrow streets…So I aimed my gun and shot Nathanael square in the chest.

"Run! I'll hold him off just get the flag!" I shouted, urging them to go on without me. They solemnly nodded and ran. I turned to look at Nathanael, who was slightly surprised he got shot.

"I guess it's just you and me again, little red." I said as he tilted his head upwards to look me straight in the eye; I felt a cold shiver run down my spine as I looked into his electric seafoam colored eyes that seemed to glow with power.

"We really got to stop meeting like this, my little minx." He said casually as he raised his gun slightly. I raised my gun instinctively, aiming at his chest. "I'm not entirely unsympathetic so I'll give you until the count of three."

In these narrow streets aiming was easy, it all really depended on how fast you could pull the trigger…however, because of Nathanael's small frame and stature he had a higher chance of dodging and hiding from my attacks.

"One…" There was a slim chance I would be able to hit him...I only had one option… I ran straight past him, if I wanted to beat him I needed to be in a wider space, even the playing field.

"Two…" I could still hear his voice. I wasn't planning on escaping so I didn't go too far, I just wanted to have a head start…but…something seemed familiar….

"Three…" It was only now that I realized, last time I underestimated Nathanael I ended up losing, even though I _thought_ I had the advantage….it was all happening again and if things played out like they did last time with the arcade game… _I'm screwed…._

* * *

I could hear the soft echoing sounds of his footsteps behind me and I willed my legs to go faster. My breath came out jagged and harsh, heart beat pounding profusely in my ears. _I don't understand; why is he walking? He would have surely caught me by now if he had started running._ I thought as I skid across the floor and cut a corner, hoping that, that would shake Nathanael off my tail. Suddenly like a flash grenade it all clicked…He wasn't trying to catch me he was trying to tire me out, this was nothing more than a game of cat and mouse…! I let out a shaky laugh of hysteria as I realized how I had walked straight into the palms of his hands.

"Stupid!" I cursed as I smacked myself on the forehead for being so gullible…But…maybe…I could use this to my advantage…A foxy smirk etched its way onto my face as I thought of a conniving plan.

"Lila~" A shiver ran down my spine. "Where are you…? Are you hiding…that's not like you Lila…Come out, come out~"

He was playing with me now…using that alluring, sexy voice of his to lure me out to my doom like a siren. However, if he's teasing me…that must mean he's letting his guard down…I have to keep his confidence up, I have to build it up even more and then ram a sledge hammer through it! First things firsts…act like he has the upper hand. There was a fake trash can near me and I kicked it down. The trash can echoed out and cried out as it hit the ground, giving away my position.

"There you are!" Quickly I ran and headed towards the winding maze of walls of Deadman's land. Nathanael followed behind, walking quickly with brisk steps…

I weaved and navigated my way along the confusing winding roads of Deadman's land. I stopped running and I was now speed walking. I didn't want to lose Nathanael…I just had to confuse him, make him lose his bearings, turning corner after corner, left, right, right, left, right, left, left, right, straight and repeat. Finally after a few minutes I looked back to see I had completely lost Nathanael and although that wasn't the original plan it did help bring the odds in my favor. Now he didn't know where I was. Sneak attacks would be easier…but that could be said the other way around too…

I cautiously made my way through the maze, searching for Nathanael's red hair and blinking laser tag armor. It wasn't long until I spotted him. He no longer radiated power, now he radiated confusion as he looked to his left and right like a frighten rabbit. I grinned, a foxy grin. I quickly survey the area…just in case this was some sort of elaborate trap. Satisfied I proceeded with my plan.

I quickly ran from his blind spot and rammed him into a nearby corner. The look on his face was priceless. Eyes wide, cheeks slightly flushed, lips formed into a surprised little 'o' shape as he dropped his weapon. I grabbed his hands and placed them over his head on the wall effectively pinning him to the wall my grin widened.

"Lila!" he cried out in embarrassment and confusion…

I could feel his pulse skyrocket and I couldn't help but feel proud that I was the cause of it. I gingerly leaned down and hovered over his neck. His face was beet red and all senses of coordination or rational thoughts were gone as I pressed my body closer to his.

"I win." I whispered, my hot breath grazing his flushed skin.

He was a stuttering mess now, neck flushed red, practically shaking in my hold, he was done. _Checkmate!_ I let go of his hands and quickly pulled my body away from him. I took a moment to look at his face, which was cherry red and his eyes seemed to swirl around in utter confusion as he tried to steady his shaking body.

I raised my gun and fired rapidly. The sound of a canon being fired was heard in the distance. I smiled victoriously and ran out towards the exit of the maze to reunite with my comrades, leaving behind a flustered Nathanael.

Exiting the maze I saw the familiar shade of golden hair and green eyes that belonged only to Adrien Agrest. He was running this way. I grinned… _Oh my god this was so much easier than I thought…_ As I raised my gun I decided to boost a little and shouted.

"Justice will be swift, justice will be precise, justice will be me!"

With that I fired and was thoroughly surprised to find he only had one life left, my comrades must have gotten to him first. The canon sounds out and a screeching air horn signals our victory. I felt a rush of pride and I was about to boast when I was suddenly hit in the shoulder.

"Ow!" I cried out wincing slightly, I turned to look at the culprit only to find a flustered Nathanael with his brows furrowed deep in anger and lips pulled down in a frown. "Hey, what was that for?" I asked with a pout…though I had an idea of why he was so ticked off.

"What was…?! Lila! Aug!" He groaned in frustration. "That wasn't fair!" He whined.

"Was too! It's not like I broke a rule…" _Did I break a rule…well I wasn't called out for it so…._

"Was not!"

"Was to!" I replied back stubbornly.

"Not!"

"To!"

"Not!"

"To!"

* * *

 **That was it for chapter 10 I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review I want to hear what you think. I'll see you in the next update.**


	12. The dares

Ch 11 The dares

 **Hey there sweeties. How have you been. So I just got back from Mexico! Had a few issues with my Wi Fi other than that I have just been sleeping in all day and I seem to have a hit a slight writers block so furture updates may be slower. Sorry! Anyway Here's the update you've all been waiting for! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Not!"

"To!"

"Not!"

"To!" Finally Nathanael let out a frustrated groan of defeat.

"I hate you…" He mumbled under his breath, I retaliated by sticking out my tongue childishly.

"What…?" Adrien asked out loud his head tilted in confusion. Oh! I completely forgot about Adrien.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Nathanael's just a sore loser." I said casually.

"Sore loser?! That's rich! Last time I won you wouldn't quit until **_I_** finally let **_you_** win." I simply shrugged his comment off.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Nathanael let out a huff of annoyance. "Well we better get back to the others; I'm dying to know what the bet was." I commented.

We all made our way to the exit and we were greeted by all our fallen comrades and teammates.

"Hey, you played a good game." Nino said and I pointed at myself to reassure that the complement was indeed made for me. Nino merely laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah you were killer!"

"Oh uh, thanks you were pretty good to." I replied back.

"So hey, are you guys going to tell us what you bet, exactly?" Alya asked suddenly.

I too was rather curious about Kim and Alix's arrangement. Alix turned her nose up snobbishly with a plastered grin while Kim looked sheepishly at his feet.

"Go on, Kim, tell them!" Alix said with a haughty smiled. Kim mumbled the answer under his breath.

"I….I have to go to school on Monday dressed up as a princess and ask the girl I like out…."

Kim hoped no one had heard him, but everyone did and a collective burst of laughter boomed out causing Kim to turn a light shade of pink.

"Stop laughing…!" Kim whined in frustration. But, this just caused us to laugh even harder. I had to lean on Nathanael's shoulder for support as my body shook violently from the spurs of laughter.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually can't wait to go to school Monday." Nino said in-between chuckles. Kim scowled in response. But his scowl suddenly morphed into an unsettling grin. I didn't like it. The aura Kim emitted was akin to my own whenever I had something devious planned.

"Yeah, yeah! But, I guess if anyone is man enough to pull off a frilly pink dress it's me!" Kim boasted confidently. "Plus girls love a man who can do both with no shame…Isn't that right Alya?" Kim asked playfully. Alya snorted and she decided to humor him.

"Yeah I really like a guy who isn't afraid of wearing dresses. Guys who are confident enough in their masculinity to pull off a frilly dress are so attractive." Alya said playfully, but she really did mean it when she said she liked confident guys, numerous times before she had always announced her preference for a strong confident hero-like guy. So even though she said this playfully, Nino took it seriously.

"W-well I could totally pull off a dress to!" Nino offhandedly commented his voice laced with what seemed to be jealously. Oh lord I knew where this was going…the question now was do I stop it before it gets out of hand or do I just enjoy the show.

"Wanna bet?" Kim inquired. A sudden thrill ran through my body like electricity. I've made my choice...I was going to fan the flames and watch it burn. A wicked grin etched its way across my face.

"Honesty, I think Nathanael would look killer in a dress." I said smoothly.

Nathanael's eyes grew wide with fear, his shoulder stiffened and he quickly shot me a fiery glare. I just gave him an all too innocent smile and a sheepish shrug. This caused Nathanael's frown to deepen and a dark aura enveloped his small being. He looked like he was ready to murder someone, and honestly I couldn't decide whether it was really hot or really cute.

"I already wore a frilly apron, today. There's no way I'm going to wear a dress too!" Nathanael stated firmly.

"And you looked really good in that apron, honey dear~" I teased; referring back to theatre class where he was my wife in a pink apron for the skit.

"Shut up, dearie!" He replied through clenched teeth. I just laughed in response.

"I think you guys all know what we have to do now…We have to prove our manliness!" Kim said and everyone knew if they agreed with Kim they would be playing into his hands. They knew Kim was just trying to make them suffer by accepting ridicules dares, but as of right now they were currently filled with fatal pride and a need to prove their worth. So both Nino and Nathanael agreed with zero hesitation. Oh this was going to be entertaining I thought with a small smirk.

It wasn't long until Kim and I had riled up the others into accepting their doom. Unfortunately for Kim, Alix couldn't participate because she received a call from her father who requested she come home so they could watch a roller derby showdown that would be airing soon. We exchanged our goodbyes and the rest of the group remained to either participate in or watch the unraveling chaos.

"Come one we can go to my house." Adrien generously offered.

"You sure dude, you now your dad is a real party pooper...no offense." Nino commented.

"Its fine, he's away at another one of his fashion show and the Gorilla and Nathalie have really loosened up and usually leave me alone if I don't cause too much ruckus." Adrien explained.

We made our way towards Adrien's huge mansion. Walking up towards the golden ornate gate a wave of intimation wafted off the Mansion's menacing high walls and I felt small in comparison. Entering through the opening golden gates we climbed up the stairs that led to the front door, once inside I was immediately blinded by the bright white walls that stood tall and erect with purpose. The room was large and vacant, cold and empty like a lonely winter field. Our steps echoed loudly as we transverse the porcelain floors. Even though I had said the wall were a shimmering white I now noticed the sad tint of blue that drowned the rooms in a cold depression. It was lonely and I briefly wondered if the sole reason Adrien invited us here was so he wouldn't have to listen to his own heartbeat in the dead lonely silence of the porcelain palace of winter.

After walking miles through long corridors we finally made it to Adrien's room. His room was massive and livelier with bright colors when compared to the stony black and white of the rest of the house. He even had a second story which contained two large bookshelves that acted as walls; the two stories were connected by a white, spiral staircase. He had various fencing trophies most of which flank his computer monitor, a king sized bed, a rock-climbing station on the second floor, a basketball half-court, two wooden ramps for skateboarding, an arcade station which consisted of a DDR dance pad and two retro consoles, a lounging area with a large white couch big enough to fit five people, a huge bathroom, and a multi-screen computer system….Everyone besides Nino and Marinette where in complete awe. This was less of a room and more of a mini arcade room with a bed in it. After our initial awe faded away we all made our selves comfortable in the provided longing area.

"Alright! So who wants to start!?" Kim asked grinning from ear to ear. It was at this time that they all realized the gravity of their situation. It was funny how their faces morphed from one of clear bravo to a 'oh shit' expression. "No one, then, fine I'll start."

Kim grabbed his chin thoughtfully, examining each and everyone one of us, trying to decide who his first victim should be. Finally his eyes landed on the clear choice. Nathanael…the shy artistic boy who never really stepped out into the spot light and as soon as Kim's gaze fell upon him Nathanael's shoulder tensed and he tried to recoil himself into a small ball, as if trying to disappear.

"Nathanael!" Kim exclaimed pointing at the small redhead.

Nathanael's ear perked up at the sound of his name and he whipped his head up, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Kim grinned, as Nathanael fidgeted around. I didn't like that. I looked over at Kim. He caught my gaze and I glared a dark murderous glare and an over protective aura emitted from my being _._ _You can torture everyone else but you better be careful around my Nathanael, because I swear if you do anything too wild or brash I will make sure you will regret even looking at him!_ Kim gulped and I smirked, I think I got my point across.

"Uhh I…uhh dare y-you t-t-to…."

Kim looked nervous as he tried to think of another less evil dare…But Kim took in a deep breath and in his mind he yelled 'screw it I'm not afraid of a liar!'

"Alright, Nathanael I dare you to…uh…drink…Wait here!" Kim got up and asked Adrien where his kitchen was.

After a few minutes he came back with a huge coffee mug, a pestle and mortar, coffee beans and a Monster energy drink. First he grinded the coffee beans into a fine dust and then poured it into the steaming mug of black coffee. With a 'swish' sound he opened the can of monster energy drink and poured into the coffee mug. He then handed it to Nathanael's shaking hands.

"Drink it." Nathanael gulped and nervously looked down at the concoction in his hands. "You either drink it or you have to join me in wearing a pink dress to school."

Finally after a few seconds Nathanael turned his head towards me wearing a small sad smile, he looked so solemn. His eyes looked dull and glazed over. Oh, I was going to kill Kim for this.

"I'm going to die." Nathanael said with a delirious smile and chugged the whole thing. _Oh boy…_

* * *

At first nothing happened….but then a rush hit. My muscles tensed up and contracted, my left eye started to twitch involuntarily, my heart beat speed up, and I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. Suddenly everything seemed to be moving in a blur, then it slowed, then it blurred again. It rapidly and radically shifted from going in slow motion to going so fast all I could see were blurred colors. Everything seemed to be spinning and the oversaturated colors seemed to be resonating with whispers and silent screams.

I've never felt more accelerated in my life. I felt like I could do anything. This boundless amount of energy was insane! I was flying high! I could hear my name but I wasn't sure where it came from.

"Nathanael? You okay?" I turned and I answered the pretty voice.

"I never felt more ALIVE!" I exclaimed facing the white wall. I got up and started jogging in place. I wanted to do something, I had to do something or I would explode from pent up energy! A loud whispering voice in my right ear suggested I go rock climb. I looked at the rock climbing section and bolted towards it. Up the stairs and now I'm a fucking plane, no I'm a giant!

"Who's looking down now on who now!?" I shouted as I laughed hysterically gripping the glass railing that held me back. I quickly made my way towards the rock climbing section of the wall with my arms outstretched like a plane. I climbed the first few rocks and I could hear a slightly panicked voice call out but I ignored it and shouted "Goodbye airplanes I have gone above you!"

* * *

Nathanael was practically bouncing off the walls with boundless energy. His eyes were wide and his pupils were nothing more than cat slits, filled with energy and hysteria. I asked him if he was okay he must not be too far gone as he did answer me….then again he didn't really look at me when he answered he actually said it to the wall in front of him. He then ran past me and walked up the spiral staircase arms outstretched as he made airplane sounds. He leaned over the railing and OH MY GOD!

"Nathanael don't lean too far you'll fall!" He didn't listen as leaned down even more he was practically dangling of the edge as he tilted his head and smiled a big Cheshire smile as his eyes gleamed.

"Who's looking down on who now?!" He shouted and kept making his way towards the rock climbing section of the wall. Oh dear lord no!

"Nathanael you're gonna fall!" My heart was beating so loud and I felt antsy.

"Goodbye airplanes I have gone above you!" I groaned… and glared at Kim.

"Look at what you did." I said with a frown as I pointed at Nathanael who was currently laughing his ass off on some inside joke he had with the bookshelf.

"Didn't think he would actually do it." Kim said sheepishly as he tried to stifle his laughter. I growled and he flinched. "B-but don't worry you know what they say what goes up must come down."

I just looked over at where Nathanael was. He had run past us again and was bouncing up and down Adrien's bed.

"For your sake I hope so."

"I'M GONNA DO A BACKFLIP!" Nathanael yelled

"Oh dear lord don't!" I cried out.

* * *

 **So what do ya think? Leave a review and in all honesty I loved writing this one. I hope you enjoyed it too! I'll see you in the next update.**


	13. The Louvre

Ch 12

 **Howdy! How are my cupcakes? I hope your doing fine. I'll be heading out to Dallas on Wednesday so the next update might come out Tuesday since I usually give myself a week to do one chapter speaking of chapter this one is on the short side and the end was rather rushed I fell like I'm losing my passion for this work I might take a little break from it and write other stories. I don't know if I'm just lazy or I can't think of anything to really write...Well see how I feel next week. So enough with the talk here's an update!**

 **I Do Not Own Anything**

* * *

I draped myself over the edge of Adrian's bed with an unrelenting headache and a dry copper mouth. The bright rays of lights that hung overhead were like sharp shards of glass that poked my eyes. Gravity was crushing me down and my limbs felt heavy, they were unresponsive and were reluctant to move even an inch. I groaned out in pain and held my head mournfully, trying to stop the painful pounding in my brain. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Uhh… I think I'm going to die…." I mumbled out. _Is it just me or is the room spinning? Urgh! My brain!_ I let out another groan of discomfort. "I regret all of my life's decisions."

"That's what you get for having too much pride." Lila scolded softly as she combed her fingers through my red hair.

"…shut up…" I mumbled weakly. She just let out a tired sigh.

* * *

"…shut up…" He mumbled under his breath.

I just rolled my eyes as I continued playing with his hair. I quickly glanced back at the others who were currently preoccupied with their own dares. I let out a sigh.

"You had me worried…" I confessed quietly so as not to be overhead.

"…sorry…" He replied sheepishly.

"You have to make it up to me." He looked up at me curiously as he tilted his head in question.

"How…?" he asked. I pretended to consider it, though I already knew the answer.

"Let's ditch this place." He raised a curious eyebrow in question. "We can go to the Louvre…There's still time…besides its quieter over there might help your headache." I added.

"I…don't know…"

"Please…I really wanted to go with you…" I admitted and pouted slightly. Nathanael let out a sigh.

"…ok…but only because you insisted."

I smiled in quiet victory. Slowly Nathanael got up from the bed wincing from his killer headache. "Well…come one…" he said as he quietly excited the room.

"See you losers later." I said as I flashed the peace sign….they didn't hear me.

* * *

It was around three o clock in the afternoon. The glass pyramid stood tall at a height of about 72 ft. Flanked to the side were three smaller pyramids and reflecting pools with modern fountains. The glass shimmered with the rays of the shining sun twisting the light's rays into small shimmers and glaring reflections along with the occasional rainbow. As soon as we went through the Louvre Pyramid we immediately gained access to its large three wings: Sully, Richelieu, and Denon. We decided we would go to the Sully wing, which was, according to Nathanael, the oldest part of the Louvre. I smiled.

"Looks like I have my own private tour guide."

"Flattery gets you nowhere." Nathanael replied playfully, but he happily accepted the compliment. He loved going to the Louvre, it was where he mostly resided apart from his own home and school.

* * *

The Sully wing mostly contained a large collection of French paintings, drawings and prints. And although Nathanael had seen them countless times he still retained that spark of awe in his eyes, the same could not be said for Lila, who was bored out of her mind. Once in a while she was caught in awe of the architecture and art work, but that awe was always short lived and she would soon find herself once again bored out of her mind. Lila was an active person, who liked participating in many social events, like parties or the like. She wasn't too keen on the idea of simply sitting idly in absolute silence looking at a wall, even if that wall had beautiful artistries hung on it. She let out a sigh…

"Tired…?" Nathanael asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah…you know just tried from that work out we had during laser tag." Lila said lying about how she was just tired when really she was just bored.

"Oh."

* * *

A misty silence loomed overhead. They were passing by statues now, one of them caught Lila's eye. It was titled Psyche revived by Cupid's kiss. The white marble stone indicates the cold lifelessness that is reality but the figures themselves with fine detailed sculpting suggest nothing of the sort, being almost lifelike in nature. Cupid's wings, his quiver full of arrows, the way cupid holds Psyche tenderly, the curve of Psyche's hips as she turns to embrace cupid and the anatomic detail, like Psyche's belly button and graceful toes added a sense of moment and life to the scene along with a sense of authenticity. It was beautiful.

Lila stopped walking and couldn't help but stare; she also couldn't help but feel envious of the two sculptures that were frozen in time. She wanted to be looked at with tender affection, she wanted to be held gently in loving arms, she wanted to be praised as beautiful and intelligent, and she wanted to be loved. Her fists tighten unconsciously.

"Lila you okay?" Nathanael's concerned voice broke her trance.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah I'm fine just in awe of this sculpture." Nathanael's lips made a thin line and he looked at her with disbelief but decided not to push the matter any further.

"Yeah it's nice, very romantic." He said.

"Come on, let's go." Lila said solemnly. Nathanael followed close behind.

It was around five o clock now; both Lila and Nathanael were exciting the Louvre. They quietly walked beside one another hand in hand. Nathanael wasn't sure what got Lila feeling so down; he was sure if he asked it would only worsen the situation he decided to just stay silent and hold her hand comfortingly as they walked around the mazes of paintings. The moment his hand found hers her shoulders loosened and her intense gaze softened. That was a good sign. As they progressed a comfortable silence bloomed forth akin to the one they had when they were walking down on the streets of Paris to Lila's house. It was soothing. This was the calm before the storm.

"Oh my god! What's that!?" A civilian cried out in terror.

Overhead were thousands of paper cranes encircling the sky blocking out the sun. Riding on a large cloud of them was a small elementary kid….It was an akuma!

Hysteria. Panic. Fear…An akuma attack…In the madness of scurrying people he was quickly separated from Lila. Both were separated by the rift created by the strong waves of the hysterical mass as the cranes swooped down from the heavens attacking innocent civilians. This was nothing new to Nathanael, he's seen a few akuma attacks…he actually caused one of them…but Lila never experienced the chaos of one. This caused Nathanael to panic. His seafoam eyes frantically searched for Lila, but he couldn't find her. He was being pushed around like a leaf in a tornado, thrown and pushed aside by the violent wind...

Finally he slid past the crowd, all the while panicking over Lila's safety. He couldn't think, couldn't move he felt frozen…frozen in panic…Suddenly he caught sight of two midnight black twin tails. _Marinette…maybe she can help me…_ Nathanael thought. Marinette was a very calm cool headed leader when it came done to stressful situations he was sure she would be of a great help to him considering he himself was the manifestation of anxiety at the moment.

He quickly weaved his way through the crowds and followed Marinette into a small isolated corner near an alleyway. _Why is she going in an alleyway_? Nathanael briefly thought before assuming it was merely because an alleyway was a good place to hide in so one could wait for the crowds to disperse. Finally he was able to make his way towards her and he was about to call out to her but-

"Tikki Transform me!"

A bright light temporally blinded him. Marinette was gone and in her place stood Paris's red clad hero, Ladybug….Wait! Oh no… _I think I just saw something I wasn't supposed to see…._ _Marinette was….Ladybug!?_

* * *

 **Yeah...so the end was kind of rushed...But I hope you still like it Leave a review and tell me what you think maybe even give me some ideas for the future premise of the story that I can work off of. In any case I'll see you in the next update.**


	14. The truth

Ch 13 the truth

 **I'm back! As promised here's another update. I've been busy signing up and researching scholarships so I'm not sure how that may effect the update dates. Some updates may or may not take longer I'm not sure. But there will be updates just not in a routinely fashion like I usually do.**

* * *

Marinette was…Ladybug?! She was Ladybug…That's why she's never around when an Akuma attack happens…That's why she's grown as a person. Last year she was more reserved…this year she was confident and brave. _Well of course she's Ladybug, why wouldn't she be confident and brave in herself_ …It was this change that had caused me to develop my crush for her…Regardless…the discovery of who Ladybug truly was, was so simple I wondered how I hadn't noticed it before. Same bluebell eyes, same pigtails, similar body structure…Marinette is Ladybug…I thought as I paced around my room, I don't even remember the walk home that's how scattered my thoughts were.

My phone started vibrating. I looked to see who was calling…Lila…I let out a sigh I had not known I was holding. Seeing that name on my phone screen calmed my jumpy nerves. I was so relived she was alright, without a second thought I answered.

"Lila…?"

"Nathanael! Are you okay?! Where are you!? We got separated and I couldn't find you. Are you hurt!?" I was being bombarded with worried questions and I felt horrible for making her worried.

"Lila, calm down. I'm fine, I'm at my house….If anything I'm the one who should be asking you all those question. I'm used to akuma attacks you're not….Please tell me you're okay…Are you at home?"

"No, no I'm fine…Don't worry so much about me…"

"I feel like I don't worry enough…" I replied honestly. Lila was a very overprotective friend. In many ways I think she views me as her younger brother; always looking out for me.

"I'm coming over."

"Huh…?"

"Don't worry I'll be over in a bit!" I looked around my room…it was a mess...crumbled pieces of paper littered the floor alongside drawing utensils and randomly thrown clothing.

"No, no, no It's fine you don't ne-" She hung up…

 _Crap! I have to clean up I can't let her see this mess!_ I quickly made a mad dash around my room picking up random sketches and papers from off the floor along with any dirty clothes I may have stuffed in little corners. Oh god there's so much to do….I don't even know how much time I have to clean everything! And just like that the 'Marinette is ladybug' revaluation was left forgotten, put on the back burner for now…as of right know the only thing going on in my mind is vacuuming and stuffing random crap in my closet so it looks clean. The only repeating thought I had was _Lila was coming over, Lila is coming over! Can't let her see this mess…_

* * *

Lila hung up the phone and made a mad dash towards Nathanael's house. She could hear her heart beat pound louder and louder as she ran. _Gotta make sure Nathanael is okay, Gotta make sure Nathanael is okay._ She kept repeating this in her head as she made her way through the streets of Paris, finally arriving at Nathanael's home. She rang the doorbell once then twice then she was just practically raping the doorbell, constantly pressing it non-stop, until she heard the sound of footsteps.

"I'm coming wait!" That was Nathanael's voice…Finally the door was open, reveling the small redhead. There was no sign of distress Lila thought in relief as her eyes scanned the boy's body to make sure he wasn't hurt before launching up and tackling him down with a bear hug.

"Are you hurt?!" She asked…even though she knew he wasn't hurt, but she just needed the reassurance.

"No, no. I'm fine. What about you? Are you hurt?" Nathanael asked with concern as he pulled away from the hug scanning Lila up and down looking for any signs of bruises or cuts.

"Who cares?"

"I care, you idiot." Nathanael replied with a small smile and once again embraced her, and then she hit his shoulder. "Ow!" he cried out.

"That's for making me worry idiot!"

"Sorry." He replied sheepishly. She huffed out.

"I expect more than an apology."

"How about I get you something, whatever it is I'll get it for you." Lila flushed and grinned.

"I want compensation; I think some strawberry macaroons and a few other pastries from Marinette's bakery will do, what you say?" Lila asked.

Nathanael froze when he heard Marinette's name and millions of questions began to whirl in his head, questions like: _'what do I do know', 'do I tell her I know', 'Should I tell anyone…should I tell Lila', 'if I like Ladybug does that mean I still like Marinette', 'should I not even mention to her how I know her secret', 'what do I do when I see her', 'how is this going to change the way I look at her?'_

"Nathanael….Nathanael…..Nathanael!"

"Huh…? I'm sorry what…."

"I said that we can go to Marinette's bakery and get some macaroons ….You okay you were kind of spacing out a little bit there….?" Lila asked in concern.

"Oh! No I'm fine I was just…" _Should I tell her….No. I need to-I need to confront Marinette first…just not right now…_ "You know I was just wondering if you would rather go to this real nice restaurant I know of! After all I bet a few messily macaroons won't make up for the scare I gave you….you need a full meal." he said nervously.

"Y-you want to take me out…t-to a restaurant…just the two of us…." Lila asked nervously eyes shining bright with hope.

"Yeah sure."

"W-well what are we waiting for?! I'm starving!" Lila exclaimed happily as she wrapped her arms around Nathanael's arm happily walking off towards the streets of Paris, with Nathanael being dragged along behind her.

In her mind this was a date…well sort of…he was just doing this to make up for scaring her half to death, but still! However, Nathanael only let out an inwards sigh…happy he dodged a bullet…then he realized…he had no idea where he was going to take Lila…. _Shit! What restaurant should I take her to? It has to be nice…But I don't want to walk all the way and I don't have that much money! I didn't think this through! Oh god…!_

* * *

The sound of impending demise could be heard resonating within the walls of his room. It was the deathly shriek of the alarm clock. Nathanael groaned. His arm instinctively reached out and hit the snooze button. He curled up in his bed welcoming the comfort of silence as he slipped into a deeper sleep then…. _Beep Beep Beep…_ the alarm went off again. There was another groan, a sigh, a grunt, and the shuffling of bed sheets as he reluctantly got up and went to get ready for school.

 _School…Marinette!_ His thoughts finally caught up with him. _I have to tell her I know!_ Nathanael thought as he quickly got ready. He rushed out the door; he didn't bother to eat anything.

Finally he made it to school, out of breath. He scanned the incoming students and searched for the two familiar midnight blue pigtails. _There!_ She was walking next to Alya…Nathanael gripped his satchel nervously… _I'll tell her later…when she's alone_ …Nathanael thought as he ducked his head, hoping Marinette didn't see him….he started to have second thoughts… _what if Marinette wipes my memory or something like that, will she threaten me, will she get mad…will she stop talking to me if I tell her I know…._

"Hey little red! Stop ignoring me!"

"Huh! I'm sorry what…?" Lila puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Jeez…You've been spacing out quite a bit since yesterday…Are you sure okay…? Nothing happened right?" She asked with concern.

"Oh no I'm fine! I just…had to pull an all-nighter you know. With the akuma attack I totally forgot to do my homework." Nathanael lied

"Oh man that sucks! You should have told me I would have let you copy my homework."

"I didn't want to bother you."

"You're never a bother." Nathanael smiled, his anxiety was washed away as if it never existed and his heart beat was strong and steady, only Lila could make him feel better when he was down even if she did it unconsciously.

They entered the classroom and low and behold there stood Kim in a gaudy pink frilly princess dress. They both burst out laughing and laughed even harder when Kim brought out an orange and confessed his love to Alix whose face turned a bright red. Marinette can wait…Nathanael thought…Really though he was just procrastinating.

* * *

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I had a short minute window of free time to talk to Marinette. It was now or never. _Okay…I got this…_ I took one step then a few more and I finally closed the space between us…I stood near her and I opened my mouth to talk to her... _You got this…_

"Oh hey, Nathanael." Marinette said acknowledging my presence. _I don't got this! Abort! Abort!_

"You okay?" Marinette asked with concern. I gulped. _Ok….calm down….what would Lila do…Please let me have Lila's confidence…._

"I-I'm fine…I just…You see…I'm having trouble in science and I was wondering if you could help me study for the upcoming quiz." I lied….

"Oh like a study session? Yeah sure! I need to study some more to!" Marinette said gleefully. _Oh thank god…I did it…! Sort of…_

"Cool. How about after school? Will that work for you?"

"Yeah! Let's meet up at my place." Marinette offered.

I just nodded in agreement. I walked back to my seat where Lila was taking a nap and let out a sigh of relief.

"So what were you guys talking about?" I jumped back in surprise. I thought she was sleeping! Did she see…?!

"Oh….just school stuff…" I replied blandly. She raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"What kind of school stuff?"

"Well we're going to have a study session after school. I need some help with science." I replied dryly as I got out my sketchbook and began doodling, I almost missed Lila's eyes widened in despair…she didn't look happy.

"You could have asked me." She murmured…wait was she….

"Lila….Are you jealous?" As soon as those words left my mouth her shoulders stiffen and her cheeks gained a pink hue of embarrassment which she tried to hide by turning her face away. "Oh my god you are jealous…!" I stated out loud a little surprise Lila was the jealous type. I giggled at the notion.

"I-I'm not jealous!" She exclaimed "I'm just mad you didn't think to invite me along, I mean I AM your BEST friend!" She stated. I giggled.

"Well I already made plans maybe next time…" She pouted…

"Don't tell me you still have a crush on her…." I blinked…did I have a crush on her? I mean I did…but then I liked Ladybug….but she IS Ladybug….so…..

"I-I don't know…" I mumbled quietly….Lila stayed quiet before muttering…

"….That's not very reassuring…." I sighed…who knew the truth could make things so complicated.

* * *

In the corner of my eye I saw Nathanael walk up towards me. I greeted him and he seemed to flinch. I was worried as to why he did that so I asked if he was okay. He seemed very fidgety. Finally he seemed to have composed himself and he asked me if I could join him in a study session. I obviously agreed, right now my grades were slipping again. With me being Ladybug it's very hard to devote time to school and studying...

"Cool. How about after school? Will that work for you?" Nathanael asked politely, he was always rather polite it was a good trait I liked in him.

"Yeah! Let's meet up at my place." I offered.

He just nodded in agreement with a small smile and made his way back towards his seat where Lila was currently napping…I slightly frowned…Lila…Well she was….she wasn't the best person….I really hope she isn't influencing Nathanael…They been spending quite a lot of time together…

"Hey Marinette! What was all that about?" I jumped back in surprise. It was Alya.

"What was what?" I asked confused.

"What were you and Nathanael talking about?"

"Oh! He just wanted to know if we could study together." Alya smirked wolfishly.

"Oh…so like a date?" she asked coyly. I flushed…I didn't think of Nathanael that way.

"No! You got it all wrong! Remember I like Adrien." I said.

"Girl, listen to me. You've been after Adrien since the beginning of school and you haven't made ANY progress…maybe it's time to think of other options. I'm not saying give up! I'm just saying maybe Adrien doesn't want a relationship right now…or maybe he isn't the one for you." Alya explained.

I couldn't comprehend what she was saying. Give up on the love of my life?! There's no way!

"You don't know that!" I stated loudly. Alya held her hands up in mock surrender.

"Look I'm just saying Nathanael's a decent guy and he used to have a crush on you, maybe he still does…If things don't work out with Adrien at least give Nathanael a chance…"

"Hmm….I guess..." I mumbled quietly though I didn't really mean it.

"But you may wanna hurry because I think Lila's trying to state her claim on him."

"Huh? Lila?"

I asked in surprise and stole a quick look behind to find Nathanael and Lila casually talking. Nathanael was laughing about something and Lila seemed very abash by it her cheeks a rosy red, she was pouting…No way! Where they a thing?! Nathanael and Lila!? That's can't be right…Lila can't be the girl Nathanael ends up with…!

"They can't be a thing! Lila isn't right for Nathanael!" I stated.

"Oh is someone jealous..?~" Alya teased.

"N-no It's just…I don't know I don't think Lila is a good influence on Nathanael….I mean just a while ago she was all over Adrien and now she's moved on?! That's very fickle and she's a liar!" I stated trying to justify my feelings.

"I see where you're coming from….But Lila has changed very quickly ever since she started hanging out with Nathanael. If anything I say he's a good influence on her. She still has her quirks and she doesn't really talk to anyone…but I do see her talk with Rose and Juleka from time to time. Although….when they talk it seems too formal…and polite…I think Nathanael's the only person she's really close to. I mean…Anywhere Nathanael goes she wants to go to…Haha it's kind of funny she's like a lost puppy dog…" Alya explained.

"I don't know, Alya, I feel like she's just lying to him…Well in any case I could ask him during our study session…" I stated….

"Oh! I almost forgot what I came to show you. Look at this! Jagged Stone released a teaser for his new album called Roses and Thorn bushes!" Alya said in an ecstatic voice.

"Oh wow really!" I exclaimed as I leaned over to look at Alya's phone.

* * *

 **that's it for now I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. The plot (whatever the plot is) is thickening. To be honest the plot is really blurry oh well I'm just gonna wing it. Thank you for your reviews! They make e feel all giddy inside! I'll see you in my next update.**


	15. I know

Ch 14

 **Yo! It's an update! How was you're guys' Fourth of July?**

* * *

I waited patiently outside the school for Nathanael.

"Hey, Marinette!" My heart skipped a beat. Adrien…. _Oh my god he was looking at me….say something….anything….!_

"H-hey Marinette I-I mean! I mean A-A-Adrien! I'm Marinette you're Adrien hahaha…" I laughed nervously…my palms began to clam up and my throat seemed to swell….I couldn't talk, could barely breath….

"Me and Nino were going to my place to study wanna join?" _He was asking me on a study date?!_

"Y-yeah sure!" I said with no second thoughts. I'm sure I was wearing the stupidest grin on my face.

"Cool, see you there. Come around three okay, that's when I get off of fencing practice." Adrien said as he began walking off to fencing practice.

"I know! Uh...I mean….Yeah sure I-I I'll see you there!" I replied with giddy embarrassment. He waved goodbye and I returned the gesture….I let out a swoon….

"I'm going to study with Adrien~." I stated out loud to no in particular in a cooing voice.

"But, Marinette, you promised Nathanael you two would study." Tikki chimed as she flew out of my purse….

"Nathanael! Oh man I totally forgot! Stupid! What am I going to do now!?" I said panicking. I had totally forgotten about Nathanael…this always happens when I'm with Adrien, when I'm with him everything else just disappears.

"Calm down Marinette. Just tell Adrien you have to take a raincheck." Tikki suggested politely.

"No I can't do that!"

"Then tell Nathanael you're going to take a raincheck."

"NO! I can't do that either!" I whined as I put my hands on my head to stop the throbbing, I was getting a headache. "Oh! I know I'll just go with Nathanael first and then before three o clock I can tell him I have an important appointment and then go to Adrien's and study there."

"Do you really think that's going to work?" Tikki said with mild disbelief.

"It has to! If worse comes to worse I could just transform into ladybug and easily make it on time to Adrien's study session!" Marinette said confidently, Tikki just shook her head.

* * *

 _Okay Nathanael take a deep breath it's not like you're going to go talk to your old crush who's really your new crush who happens to be a crime stopping hero…with pigtails…Okay really not making this better…_ Nathanael thought as he tried to steady his beating heart.

"H-Hey Marinette….sorry for keeping you waiting…" he said shyly.

"Oh no I wasn't waiting for long…well come on let's go." She said merrily and they made their way towards Marinette's house as Lila watched enviously…. _It's just a study session…_ She kept repeating this in her head yet the single fact that Nathanael _used_ to have a crush on Marinette wasn't helping…

The walk itself was pleasant, much to Nathanael's surprise. He had expected the walk to be filled with nothing but awkward silence; however it was rather easy chit chatting with only the occasional relapse of smooth silence. They talked about random things like Jagged Stone's new album, fashion, art, school, etc. Nathanael was relieved that even with the new acquired information about Marinette she herself was still the same Marinette from school…. _Unless, she's lying…, maybe this is just a front, a play she puts on…_ Nathanael thought…

After a polite greeting with Marinette's parents they made their way upstairs to Marinette's room. They had to go through a trap door in order to get into her room and if Nathanael had to choose one word to describe it, it would be pink. Her room contained a few unfinished fashion pieces and light was able to engulf the room through the two bay widows on either side of her room and the large porthole between them. Another word to describe Marinette's room was Adrien. His face was plastered everywhere on the walls alongside a few Jagged Stone posters. Her computer's monitoring screen was even filled with several pictures of Adrien from magazines…Marinette laughed nervously.

"Wow, you really like Adrien…" Nathanael said as he found what seemed to be Adrien's schedule….he didn't know if he should be freaked out or envious that Ladybug loves Adrien so much.

"Hahaha….In any case! We better start studying! I have a VERY important appointment I have to go to at three o clock." Marinette said.

"Oh okay…." Nathanael said slightly nervous…

They opened up their science textbooks and began taking notes in silence….Nathanael took a deep breath…

"M-Marinette…we're friends right…?" He asked nervously…

"Of course we are! What brings this up?" She asked concern filled her eyes….her really pretty bluebell eyes…

"O-oh uhh…no it's just that…."

"Did Lila threaten you saying you didn't have any real friends?! Because if she did then don't listen to her!" Nathanael blinked at the sudden harshness in Marinette's words...

"Oh no, no, no Lila would never say something like that!" He quickly said trying to defend his friend. "I-I just wanted to know….that's all….because f-friends don't keep secrets from each other…right….?" He asked nervously….hopping she was getting the hint. Marinette was not getting the hint she merely assumed Nathanael found about who Lila truly was.

"Well…friends do keep secrets…." She said slowly…she herself has kept many secrets from Alya mostly retaining to her alternate persona. "But, a real friend wouldn't lie to you!" She stated fiercely…hoping to give Nathanael the courage to break ties with Lila.

"Oh well…yeah I guess your right…but….I-I have…to tell you something…."

"What is it…?" Marinette asked confused…weren't they talking about Lila and how she lied to him. Nathanael took a deep breath….

"I want to tell you I-." he was cut off in midsentence as Marinette's phone started ringing.

"Oh I'm so sorry wait…! It's probably just Alya!" Marinette said reassuringly but when she saw the caller ID her heart threaten to jump out of her chest…It was Adrien. "Sorry I have to take this!" She said as she rushed out to the balcony to answer her phone….Whoever called has the worst sense of timing Nathanael thought glumly.

"Bonjour?" Marinette asked trying to calm her shaking nerves.

"Hey, Marinette! I was calling to let you know that fencing practice was cut short and I'll be going home early. Do you still want to have the study session? I can pick you up." Adrien said.

Marinette's head was spinning and her heart was racing. Her natural instinct was to agree, but what about Nathanael?

"Hello Marinette are you there?"

"Oh Yeah! This is Marinette currently talking to you!"

"So…?" Adrien asked.

"Oh! Yes! I'm still going i-it j-just it uhh…."

"Hey if you're busy don't worry about it."

"NO! I mean…I'll be there just give me a minute…."

She hung up her phone and sighed….things weren't going as planned….should she cut her study session with Nathanael short? No she didn't want to do that…But she didn't want to miss the chance to hang out with Adrien either!

"Hey everything okay?" Nathanael asked curiously.

"Oh uh…Yeah, yeah…I just have to run a quick earn."

"Earn…?"

"Yeah Alya left…left her phone downstairs and she wants me to bring it to her!" Marinette lied…

Nathanael didn't believe her, not for one second. For one when you hang around Lila whose a compulsives liar you tend to learn when someone's lying and when they're not, and another thing Marinette wasn't a nearly as a good liar as Lila…but he should just give her the benefit of the doubt…maybe she has some hero business to take care of.

"O-Okay…" He said and he watched her quickly go downstairs… "I wonder who got evilized today…" He wondered out loud…

And so it started. Marinette made it to Adrien's house and stayed there for a few blissful minutes ten to be exact, before making an excuse to leave early. She got back and told Nathanael she just came back from returning Alya's phone and they started working on science. Then she would repeat the process each time with a different excuse. Nathanael was starting to get agitated, because each time he tried to tell her he knew about her secret she would make an excuse to leave…was she just trying to put off the inevitable?

"Then you take the square root of 25 which is 5…" Marinette said in a monotone voice.

"Marinette….We're studying science." Nathanael said blandly with a slight irritated undertone.

"Huh!? Oh! I yes! B-but I was uhh…" She tried to think up of a lie.

"Marinette stop." Nathanael said sternly which caught Marinette by surprise. Nathanael let out a tired sigh as he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"I-I uhh… you see…" Marinette tried but she fumbled over her own words unable to create a cohesive sentence.

"Marinette, listen I've been trying all day to tell you something really important can you please stop running off…"

"I-I'm sorry Nathanael…" Marinette said shamefully… "Please what is it you were trying to say…" Nathanael took a deep breathe….but he had to get it out now.

"I know you're ladybug." Nathanael confessed….Marinette's world imploded. She was not expecting that.

* * *

 **Ah so the truth comes out! I'll see you guys in the next update! :)**


	16. I know pt 2

Ch 15

"I know you're ladybug." He said casually as if knowing someone's alternate identity was an everyday occurrence. Marinette laughed nervously.

"Hahah…T-that's a good one! Me, Ladybug?! Haha!" She said awkwardly. Nathanael just stared at her blankly which made her uneasy, her laughter began dying out slowly. "Look, Nathanael, I'm not Ladybug there must be some mistake." She persisted. Nathanael shook his head viciously.

"No, there's no mistake. It explains everything. It explains why you are never around during akuma attacks, it explains why you are more confident in yourself, same hair, same eyes, same facial structure….plus I saw you transform into ladybug in an alley way… you should really double check your surroundings."

"Oh god…" Marinette said with despair as she hid her face in her hands. "P-please Nathanael you can't tell anyone!" She pleaded her eyes glossing over with desperate tears. Her expression pained him, he flinched he wasn't ready for her sad, desperate demeanor...

"…uh…I-I'm sorry….I didn't m-mean to upset you…I-I just thought you should know that I know that you are ladybug..." He quickly explained as he waved his hands around not knowing what to do, he wasn't expecting Marinette to get this upset.

"S-so you're not going to tell anyone?" She asked shyly…

"Of course not!" Nathanael replied fiercely. "I know you have your reasons for not telling anyone…If my comics taught me anything is that a superhero's identity is probably one of the most valuable things a superhero has." Nathanael said trying to create a lighter mood. "A-Anyway…How do you change liters into moles again?" He asked quickly changing the topic, as if the whole previous revelation of Marinette's alternate persona never happened….or at the very least was as common placed as talking about the weather. She started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Nathanael asked.

"It's just I don't know…I felt like when someone found out my secret identity it would be this grand shocking reveal." Marinette explained.

"Haha well sorry to burst your bubble." He said sheepishly.

"Well…since you already know I guess I might as well I tell you everything." Marinette said.

"Everything…? Wait! Are you going to tell me how you got your powers? Was it through a radioactive ladybug bite?! " Nathanael asked excitedly. Marinette gave a sheepish smile.

"Haha no that's not it….Actually…Why don't I let Tikki explain."

"Tikki…?"

"That would be me!" a gentle chiming voice piped in. Nathanael reeled back in surprise. What the fuck was that?!

A small red bug creature popped out of Marinette's pink purse. It had a tiny body and antennae that sprang out of its big head. It looked very much like a ladybug, what with its red body and large black spot on its forehead and each side of its head.

"W-what are you….? Some sort of bug….?" Nathanael asked unsure of what to think of the small creature that was currently flying in front of him.

"No I'm a kwami." It said.

"Kwami…?"

"We, Kwamis, are spirit like creatures that help people like Marinette transform into superheroes with their miraculous in order to maintain the balance of good and bad." The red Kwami explained.

"Miraculous …?"

"Miraculous are magic jewels worn as jewelry and they're what help us transform…Mine are my earrings." Marinette explained as she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear to show Nathanael her miraculous earrings.

"Oh I see…Does that mean Chat Noir also has a miraculous?"

"Yes, his kwami resides in his ring." Tikki said.

"W-well speaking of Chat Noir…who is he _really_?" Nathanael asked his curiosity getting the better of him.

He immediately regretted what he said. He shouldn't be so nosy…He didn't think Chat was too keen on letting anyone know who he really is, besides his partner of course.

"Well….I-I don't know…" Marinette confessed.

"You don't know…?" Nathanael asked with slight disbelief. "But aren't you two partners…?"

"W-well yeah but…you see I thought it would be best if we didn't know each other's identities…I didn't want to mix my superhero life with my private life you know…?"

"That's stupid." Nathanael stated blandly.

Marinette blinked surprised at Nathanael's blunt words…he no doubt said this because of the bad influence Lila has over him…Nathanael was always very polite…she couldn't imagine him saying that to her before…then again…she didn't know much about his personality…maybe he would say something like that….

"W-what..? B-but didn't you say you understood why I had to keep my identity a secret."

"No I said I understood why you kept it secret from family and friends…But why didn't you tell Chat Noir who you really are…Don't you trust him…?"

"O-Of course I do! But…"

"But….Listen Marinette I can't tell you how to do things…but I would like you to consider telling Chat who you really are when you're ready. It may help…because if you know who he is as a civilian you can converse and become closer as team mates…you won't have to constantly worry about where your partner is and you can tell him what you can't tell to others because he will understand, he should even give you advice…Sort of like a confident. I just think out of everyone in the world; the person who is always helping you save the world fighting supervillains should be the one to know who your really are. It might also help clear up misunderstandings…If he's your friend as a superhero wouldn't you want him to be your friend outside of the chaos of doing your duty."

"I guess you have a point…" Marinette said thoughtfully…. "I-I'll think about it…"

"Good…You can go do whatever superhero thing you were doing before now." Nathanael said.

"Huh?" She asked confused.

"Oh you know saving Paris that who shebang…. Isn't that why you were making so many excuses to leave…?"

"O-Oh yeah…haha…." She said nervously…she didn't want to tell him the truth…he didn't have to know…but then she wouldn't be any better than Lila… "You see Nathanael the truth is…"

"Yes…?" Nathanael said patiently awaiting an answer. Marinette let out a sigh as she looked at the ground shamefully.

"Look…the real reason I was making all those excuses was so that I could hang out with Adrien…he invented me to study with him…but I didn't want to ditch you…and I didn't want to refuse him…" She confessed.

"O-oh…I see…"

"I'm really sorry!" Marinette said eyes closed in shame as she bowed her head.

Nathanael stared blankly. _Adrien is a lucky guy_ was the only solemn thought he had. He let out a sheepish laugh to hide his jealousy and responded with a kind 'it's fine' and quietly mumbled under his breath how the intensity of Marinette's affection towards Adrien made him envious of the blonde. Nathanael is a wallflower by default; he can blend against the backdrop easily. He doesn't show off, there isn't he can really show off besides his art skills…But even though he wasn't the kind of person to seek the spotlight he couldn't help but yearn for the spotlight's warmth…he wanted to be praised, to be loved, to be looked up to….In short…he wished he was Adrien.

"W-well….It's fine I was planning on studying with Lila anyway." He lied with a small smile as he gathered his things to leave.

"W-wait! I don't think it was very right of me to have accepted Adrien's request when I already made plans with you…E-even though I really want to hang out with Adrien…I have to set aside my selfish desire first otherwise what sorry excuse of a hero would I be!" Marinette proclaimed.

"A-Are you sure…I-I mean we can always study some other time." Nathanael said with slight disbelief. Was Marinette picking him over the blonde heart throb?

"Yeah I'm sure I can always study with Adrien another time." She said with a smile.

Nathanael felt his heart throb…He felt important under the glimmering blue gaze of Marinette. He smiled.

"Well then back to Science!" Marinette exclaimed with a determined smile, Nathanael nodded in agreement and even though he was studying every once in a while he would steal a quick glance at Marinette…

* * *

 **Guess who's back? Yes it's me! Pretty short chapter compared to my others ones but meh. I think future chapters will be a little shorter. Anyway R &R please. Thank you for waiting!**


	17. Chapter 17

Ch 16

Nathanael seemed different. Lila noted. He walked with more confidence and he had an ever lingering smile…She wondered what had caused Nathanael such happiness. She doesn't think she's ever seen him this giddy…

"Well what's got you all happy?" Lila asked politely. Duly curious on what had Nathanael in such a good mood.

"Oh just excited for that science test I'm pumped. Me and Marinette did a lot of studying. I'm sure to pass!" He lied with a smile. He wasn't going to tell her how he was happy Marinette and him were becoming closer friends now after the study session when he revealed he knew her secret.

"Wow the world must be ending! Nathanael excited for a test…and a SCIENCE test none the less!" Lila exclaimed with a teasing smile.

"Haha very funny…" He replied sarcastically with a good natured smile.

The day proceeded in a hazy flash. Nathanael was spacing out more than usual. Lila wondered what was going on in his head. Nathanael was always quite…not necessarily in a shy way more in like I'm guarding my emotions kind of way. He was always hard to decipher, but his body language often gave himself away. He could have the most stone poker face but you would just have to see how his body reacted to find out what he was truly feeling. Right now, Lila noted, he was feeling blissful. Nathanael's bored apathetic expression would say otherwise but his relaxed posture, quite humming, distant gaze, they all were telltale signs of what he was feeling….now the question was why was he feeling this way….Could it have something to do with the study session he had with Marinette? Lila wondered as a small grey clouded loomed over her at the thought.

She didn't want Nathanael to become distant from her…she felt as if a small rift was forming between them…and she didn't know why. This made her nervous. Nathanael is the only person she truly cares for…she doesn't want to lose him…She needs to do something before the rift becomes too big to gap…I mean….They were making progress and now all the progress is getting taken away! Lila thought…I mean…He treated her out to a lunch and was duly worried for her safety during the akuma attack and they had their friendly squabbles and less then platonic moments like when she pinned him to the wall ….She really thought maybe he had started to like her a bit more…a bit less platonically...But it seems as though she was wrong…That just meant she would have to try harder to get him to like her!

"Psst…" She whispered silently. Nathanael didn't hear her so she tried again this time gently jabbing her elbow on his hoping to catch his attention. "Psst…"

"Hm…" He hummed out curiously. Lila merely gestured to the small sheet of paper she had slid to him.

 _Yo Nath I'm not getting this mind if we have a study session after school?_

Nathanael thought about it. He wasn't practically good at English but he did understand the material fairly well…at least well enough to get a decent passing grade. It would be nice to have a study session with Lila. He wrote down his response and slid it back to her.

 _Sure why not…_

Lila smiled excitedly; she could finally hang out with Nathanael and gap the rift that was forming before it was too late. Maybe even get in a pickup line or two…She thought happily as she made her way through the rest of the school day waiting for the bell to dismiss them home.

Unfortunately it seems as though another one of Chloe's victims was turned into an akuma. It was a girl with short black hair and brown eyes, if Lila recalled correctly this girl was the current weathergirl. Mireille was her name, a shy and kind girl who was friends with a good portion of the school. It also seems Mireille had a crush on Adrien she was planning on handing him a love letter. Chloe used this against the sensitive girl stating how a handsome guy like Adrien would never be caught dead near her and saying things like I'm better than you, Adrien likes me, I've known him since we were kids you don't stand a chance it actually surprise me you were even nominated for weather girl. With all the insults the girl ran off embarrassed, hurt, and humiliated….perfect for the taking…

Mireille had been akumanzied shortly after her encounter with Chloe the black butterfly softly landing on the girls' unread love letter. The butterfly possessed her being turning her warm kind heart into a block of ice. Her skin turned an icy blue and she had a dark blue teardrop tattoo in the corner of her right eye. She wore a heavy navy blue winter dress with long sleeves, a white fur shawl which hid her love letter and sitting on top of her now snow white hair was a royal blue Russian Cossack hat. She called herself the Ice Queen.

Ice Queen immediately went in search of the one who wronged her, Chloe, who was in their class… The school was in total panic as students raced towards the exit which was blockaded by a thick wall of ice the Ice Queen made…

"Marinette…! You have to transform!" Tikki said urgently as she saw the Ice Queen turn innocent students into ice sculptures.

"R-right!" Marinette said her blue eyes attentively searching for a hiding place to transform.

"Marinette…!" Marinette let out a ' _offh'_ as she was tackled to the ground just as an icy cold ray flew past her freezing the wall.

"W-wha…?" she said confused.

"You okay?" Nathanael asked. Marinette simply nodded and Nathanael let out a sigh of relief. "Come on we got to find a place so you can transform I'll be your look out!"

"Right!"

* * *

AUG! What is it with akuma attacks and their lousy timing? Lila though bitterly as she ran for cover from the incoming ice blasts, all the while searching for the bright red hair that belonged to only Nathanael.

"Come out Chloe! Let's see who the true ice queen is!" Ice Queen proclaimed her patience drawing to an end. Of course it had to be Chloe. It was always Chloe. Lila thought as she rolled her eyes.

Nathanael was nowhere in sight…She grew worried…What if he to was turned into an ice sculpture! She hated to admit it but they need Ladybug's help…So where was she?! The Ice Queen's back was turned against her, but the exit was blocked by a thick ice wall, furthermore she wasn't leaving until she found Nathanael…But if she moved out from her hiding place she would no doubt be hit by an ice ray…What was she supposed to do? She had to think….Perhaps if she moved quietly through the shadows she could…no that wouldn't work….maybe if she directed the Ice queen's attention somewhere else…but how….

"Hey, Ice Queen, over here!" A heroic female voice called out, it was Ladybug. Lila couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the few students who remained cheered for Paris's hero in red.

"Out of my way, my quarrel isn't with you!"

"Oh you won't attack me but you will attack innocent civilians?!" Ladybug snapped back.

"A means to an end." Ice Queen hissed out coldly as the temperature dropped sharply the wind blowing harshly as small flakes of snow fell.

Lila shivered….She needed to get out of here or risk being collateral damage…after all something told her Ladybug didn't have _her_ safety in mind…Maybe she could hide out in a storage closet until the fighting was over…That seemed like a good idea. The problem was how was she going to do that without drawing attention to herself? She wasn't allowed to think about the situation anymore because Ice queen tried blasting an ice ray towards Ladybug who gracefully dodged it. However, the ice from the blast managed to seep into the walls of the building causing it to crack as the ice spread causing chunks of debris to start falling down like hail.

"Lila, get down!" Before she could react she was tackled down to the ground pushed out of the way from the walling debris. It took a while for the dust to clear but once it she was able to stare into the green eyes of her savior.

"A-Adrien!"

* * *

 **nothing to say other than here's an update. Please leave a review...**


	18. Chapter 18

Ch 17

The sudden attack did not give Adrien enough time to transform as he was swept away in the large crowd of hysterical teens. It also didn't help that Nino refused to let go of his hand determined not to lose his friend in the crowd of madness. He was so relieved when his lady appeared in the nick of time like a knight in shining armor. His heart beat increased as he saw the Ice Queen hurl an attack towards his lady but luckily Ladybug easily dodged the attack with her graceful acrobats…Adrien couldn't help but smile as he watched his partner fight back by slinging her yo-yo at the Ice Queen.

However, Adrien could hear the creaking of ice and the cracking of stone he quickly turned and watched as parts of the school building that absorbed the impact where starting to crumble and fall...He saw Lila frozen in place as the building collapsed overhead. He couldn't just stand around and do nothing! Even if he wasn't transformed that wasn't going to stop him from rescuing innocent people. He ran towards her his heart racing because he knew what the consequence would be if he failed to reach her in time.

"Lila, get down!" He shouted as he tackled her out of the harm's way.

"A-Adrien…?" She asked confused her voice wavering slightly… _Might be experiencing some shock trauma…_ Adrien thought as he tried to reassure her.

"Come on we can't let her see us." He said urgently as he pulled her along.

"R-right."

"Adrien?!" The ice queen exclaimed.

Her eyes opening wide and then narrowing when she saw Lila's holding _her_ crush's hand. How dare the liar try to take her man?! She held out her extended hand and an icy cold blast surged from her palm creating a thick ice wall in front of the running teens, surprising them.

"What..!?" They exclaimed surprised as they stumbled backwards.

"Where do you think you're going with my Adrien!?" The ice queen inquired coldly. She glared at Lila with icy daggers. Lila gulped. _So this is what it's like to be on the receiving end…_ She thought glumly.

"Y-Your Adrien!" Ladybug exclaimed with a hint of annoyance…Lila assumed it was because the handsome super model had a knack for attracting akumanized females…

"Now get your filthy hands away from him." Ice Queen demanded coldly completely ignoring Ladybug's outburst.

Lila was about to drop it like it's hot but Adrien gripped her hand tighter. A slight flutter ran through her heart before she realized that she was probably going to have to face the icy wrath of a jealous hormone induced teenage villainess. But, before that could happen, Ladybug's yoyo whooshed passed the Ice queen and enwrapped her like a lasso. Although Lila would never admit it out loud she was very grateful towards Ladybug at that moment.

"Run!" Ladybug demanded as she held onto the yoyo tightly to prevent the Ice Queen from raising her hands and arms to shoot an attack.

Lila didn't need to be told twice and neither did Adrien who started running away to a safer location before Ladybug even said anything…it was almost like he knew what she was going to say…Or he was just smart enough to assess the situation and make a wise decision. Either way they booked it…though Lila wasn't sure where they could hide other than a classroom…and considering the Ice Queen was a formal student she probably knew the layout of the school well.

"Where is that cat?" Ladybug wondered out loud as she scanned the area for her partner never once loosening her grip on her yoyo.

* * *

"Lila, stay here."

"W-what..?! Are you going back?!" Lila asked confused. "Y-You can't you'll get hurt!" She exclaimed.

"Maybe I can calm her down…or distract her or something…but what I'm really worried about are my friends I have to go back and help them…."

 _And the best way to do that is by transforming into Chat Noir_ Adrien thought. Lila stayed quiet for a moment and Adrien took her silence as an understanding response. She watched him walk out the door. She didn't move, what could she possibly do? What could Adrien possibly do? They weren't heroes! But most importantly…where was Nathanael? Was he hurt? Did he turn into an ice sculpture frozen in mid scream? The thought alone terrified her. She need to make sure Nathanael was safe but….She couldn't stand. Her body felt heavy and her limbs were unresponsive…She was scared…She didn't want to get turned into an ice statue, but at the same time she wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to her only friend.

"I'm pathetic…." She mumbled weakly as she sat on the cold tile floor, uselessly.

It's not like she could do anything…In the end…She was only looking out for herself like she normally did…

"I'm sorry, Nathanael…." She mumbled her lips quivering…

Ladybug was right she was a horrible, horrible person! She couldn't even bring herself to help her friend; she couldn't sacrifice her own safety for his….What kind of friend is that?!

"…Sorry for what…?" A voice asked softly.

Her head snapped towards the sound of the familiar voice. That voice…it was such a pleasant sound, deep and soothing.

"Nathanael….?" She asked as she looked up to see Nathanael's concerned gaze.

He kneeled down before her and embraced her in a warm hug. She stood still for a moment before she accepted the warm embrace by hugging him back tightly.

"N-Nathanael I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry I'm sorry, I'm…" She whispered as she hid her face in the crook of his neck overjoyed to find him safe…but that did not get rid of the crushing weight of guilt on her shoulders.

"Shh…It's okay…No need for apologizes." He cooed softly, confused as to why she was apologizing…either way it didn't matter.

What mattered right now was comforting his friend…if anything he should be the one apologizing….This makes it the second akuma attack Lila's been in and the second time he wasn't there to help her…What kind of friend was that?! She was whimpering silently…Nathanael assumed it was because she was scared…but it only took one sentence that made him realize why she was so scared and it make him feel guilty.

"I was so worried about you…" She admitted through harsh intakes of breath.

Nathanael tighten his hold and tried hiding his shameful face in her long brown hair…He made her worry again…just like last time…What a sorry excuse for a friend he was….Here he was comforting her when he was the reason she was like this…If only he had been with her…

"I'm sorry…." He mumbled softly…

* * *

 **And tha** t **'s were I'm to have to leave you sorry! XP But uhh...I wanted to say I'm sorry...**

 **School well start soon and I might...No I WILL have to put on the story on hold. I may not update as regulary as I used to So I am very sorry! But I've been having such a writers block that this story is becoming more and more of a chore. I think I might make a separate random one shot storied just to give you guys something to read while also working through this writer's block. So I'm really sorry! But we got to go on hiatus. But before I go for those of you returning to school soon GOOD LUCK! Give it your all! I can't wait to see you guys either in a far away future update or any of my other stories that I write in the future as an outlet.**


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